Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
The push to decriminalize marijuana in Cedar Falls may have diminished since the City Council voted it down in January, but the idea hasn't died out.
While state legislators debate increasing accessibility to medical marijuana and reducing penalties for possession of small amounts of the substance in Des Moines, the University of Northern Iowa student government and a group of local activists are breathing new life into the movement on a local level.
Northern Iowa Student Government has passed a resolution in favor of decriminalizing marijuana, the first college in the state to do so.
Retired UNI political science professor Al Hays with the War on Drugs Task Force of the Cedar Valley Citizens for Undoing Racism also has organized a conference to discuss how marijuana arrests play into the nation's mass incarceration rate.
"We're going to be dealing with a huge range of issues affecting the criminal justice system and incarceration," Hays said.
As the issue continues to draw attention, Cedar Falls City Council member Nick Taiber, an advocate of decriminalizing marijuana in Cedar Falls, has expressed interest in renewing discussions of the matter with fellow council members.
Taiber was the main supporter of a marijuana decriminalization resolution that failed on a 4-3 vote in January. While he thinks another city measure is off the table, Taiber thinks there is still a conversation to be had.
"What we can do," Taiber said, "is create policing priorities - like we do every single year, every single day - of what we will target in terms of enforcement, be it drunken driving or alcohol and tobacco. It's totally in our power to do this. And rather than destroying the lives of young people and minorities we can focus on the crimes of greatest concern."
Student Resolution
On April 9, Eric Boisen, a member of the UNI Student Senate, signed a resolution supporting the decriminalization of marijuana in Cedar Falls.
The measure received majority support, with 10 voting in favor, three against and four abstaining.
"It wasn't an easy thing to pass," Boisen said. "There was a lot of discussion on it. The majority of senators were for it, but there was obviously still some debate to be had."
The 11,830 students enrolled at UNI represent one of the city's largest demographics, a fact the student government hopes will convince others to listen to what they have to say.
"I think that the goal is to at least start the conversation rolling," Boisen said. "People talk about it, but it's kind of a taboo thing to discuss still. I think something like this is good for getting the conversation rolling, getting people to wonder about what they really know about this topic and thinking about the health side effects."
The resolution draws from a 2013 study by the American Civil Liberties Union, which listed Iowa as the worst state in the nation when it comes to racial disparity for marijuana-related arrests.
According to that study, African-Americans are 8.2 times more likely to get arrested for possession of marijuana, even though usage of the drug is virtually identical across racial lines.
"Many college students and citizens of Cedar Falls and Waterloo use marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes because they believe the War on Drugs is unjust and unfairly discriminates against them," the resolution reads.
The resolution is being forwarded on to the Cedar Falls City Council, as well as Gov. Terry Branstad's office.
"Gov. Branstad does not support the recreational use of marijuana," wrote Jimmy Centers, Branstad's communications director. "As you know, marijuana is illegal at the federal level, and a number of states have seen detrimental effects and unintended consequences due to the decriminalization of the drug."
While legalization is not an option at the municipal level, marijuana activists think local authorities can decriminalized, or lessen the penalties, for possession of small amounts of the drug.
That kind of action is still a long way off in Cedar Falls and other parts of Iowa, but resolutions like the one passed by UNI student government are keeping the conversation alive.
"This is obviously the first step in what the senate thought was a very important issue," Boisen said. "I know this is not the last time marijuana decriminalization and legalization will be talked about. I think it's very good that the senators made their voices known on the subject."
For his part, Taiber commended the student senate's initiative.
"I think this is a really good example of student leadership," Taiber said. "They recognize the shortcomings of our current policy. ... They see the great harm this has caused. We've been in this war on drugs for decades, and they see we really haven't made any progress."
Activist Conference
Ending racial inequities caused by the war on drugs is a high priority for Hays.
With the help of his fellow committee members on the War on Drugs Task Force of the Cedar Valley Citizens for Undoing Racism, Hays has organized a conference in Waterloo to discuss how to do just that.
Dubbed "Mobilizing to End Mass Incarceration: An Action Conference," the event is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 2 at Winter Hall on the Allen College campus.
Hays expects marijuana and prison activists from all over the state to attend.
"The focus has not just been on legalization but the impact of the War on Drugs, on the criminal justice system and particularly on minorities," Hays said. "We are questioning the war on drugs because it has such a negative impact on people of color, and it has been one of the main engines driving the United States' excessive levels of incarceration."
The conference will consist of several speakers and workshops geared toward increasing awareness about marijuana laws and incarceration.
Headlining the event is David Liners, executive director of WISDOM, a Wisconsin based network of faith-based organizations with the aim of combating social injustice.
The conference will feature four panels with more than 10 different speakers, each focusing on a different aspect of navigating the criminal justice system.
"Our goal is to create a statewide network of people who are concerned about this issue," Hays said. "That's our rather ambitious goal for such a small group. We don't mind dreaming big."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Push to decriminalize pot continues in Cedar Falls despite lack of success so far
Author: Allen Hays
Contact: allen.hays@uni.edu
Photo Credit: Courtesy Photo
Website: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier: The Cedar Valley's home page
While state legislators debate increasing accessibility to medical marijuana and reducing penalties for possession of small amounts of the substance in Des Moines, the University of Northern Iowa student government and a group of local activists are breathing new life into the movement on a local level.
Northern Iowa Student Government has passed a resolution in favor of decriminalizing marijuana, the first college in the state to do so.
Retired UNI political science professor Al Hays with the War on Drugs Task Force of the Cedar Valley Citizens for Undoing Racism also has organized a conference to discuss how marijuana arrests play into the nation's mass incarceration rate.
"We're going to be dealing with a huge range of issues affecting the criminal justice system and incarceration," Hays said.
As the issue continues to draw attention, Cedar Falls City Council member Nick Taiber, an advocate of decriminalizing marijuana in Cedar Falls, has expressed interest in renewing discussions of the matter with fellow council members.
Taiber was the main supporter of a marijuana decriminalization resolution that failed on a 4-3 vote in January. While he thinks another city measure is off the table, Taiber thinks there is still a conversation to be had.
"What we can do," Taiber said, "is create policing priorities - like we do every single year, every single day - of what we will target in terms of enforcement, be it drunken driving or alcohol and tobacco. It's totally in our power to do this. And rather than destroying the lives of young people and minorities we can focus on the crimes of greatest concern."
Student Resolution
On April 9, Eric Boisen, a member of the UNI Student Senate, signed a resolution supporting the decriminalization of marijuana in Cedar Falls.
The measure received majority support, with 10 voting in favor, three against and four abstaining.
"It wasn't an easy thing to pass," Boisen said. "There was a lot of discussion on it. The majority of senators were for it, but there was obviously still some debate to be had."
The 11,830 students enrolled at UNI represent one of the city's largest demographics, a fact the student government hopes will convince others to listen to what they have to say.
"I think that the goal is to at least start the conversation rolling," Boisen said. "People talk about it, but it's kind of a taboo thing to discuss still. I think something like this is good for getting the conversation rolling, getting people to wonder about what they really know about this topic and thinking about the health side effects."
The resolution draws from a 2013 study by the American Civil Liberties Union, which listed Iowa as the worst state in the nation when it comes to racial disparity for marijuana-related arrests.
According to that study, African-Americans are 8.2 times more likely to get arrested for possession of marijuana, even though usage of the drug is virtually identical across racial lines.
"Many college students and citizens of Cedar Falls and Waterloo use marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes because they believe the War on Drugs is unjust and unfairly discriminates against them," the resolution reads.
The resolution is being forwarded on to the Cedar Falls City Council, as well as Gov. Terry Branstad's office.
"Gov. Branstad does not support the recreational use of marijuana," wrote Jimmy Centers, Branstad's communications director. "As you know, marijuana is illegal at the federal level, and a number of states have seen detrimental effects and unintended consequences due to the decriminalization of the drug."
While legalization is not an option at the municipal level, marijuana activists think local authorities can decriminalized, or lessen the penalties, for possession of small amounts of the drug.
That kind of action is still a long way off in Cedar Falls and other parts of Iowa, but resolutions like the one passed by UNI student government are keeping the conversation alive.
"This is obviously the first step in what the senate thought was a very important issue," Boisen said. "I know this is not the last time marijuana decriminalization and legalization will be talked about. I think it's very good that the senators made their voices known on the subject."
For his part, Taiber commended the student senate's initiative.
"I think this is a really good example of student leadership," Taiber said. "They recognize the shortcomings of our current policy. ... They see the great harm this has caused. We've been in this war on drugs for decades, and they see we really haven't made any progress."
Activist Conference
Ending racial inequities caused by the war on drugs is a high priority for Hays.
With the help of his fellow committee members on the War on Drugs Task Force of the Cedar Valley Citizens for Undoing Racism, Hays has organized a conference in Waterloo to discuss how to do just that.
Dubbed "Mobilizing to End Mass Incarceration: An Action Conference," the event is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 2 at Winter Hall on the Allen College campus.
Hays expects marijuana and prison activists from all over the state to attend.
"The focus has not just been on legalization but the impact of the War on Drugs, on the criminal justice system and particularly on minorities," Hays said. "We are questioning the war on drugs because it has such a negative impact on people of color, and it has been one of the main engines driving the United States' excessive levels of incarceration."
The conference will consist of several speakers and workshops geared toward increasing awareness about marijuana laws and incarceration.
Headlining the event is David Liners, executive director of WISDOM, a Wisconsin based network of faith-based organizations with the aim of combating social injustice.
The conference will feature four panels with more than 10 different speakers, each focusing on a different aspect of navigating the criminal justice system.
"Our goal is to create a statewide network of people who are concerned about this issue," Hays said. "That's our rather ambitious goal for such a small group. We don't mind dreaming big."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Push to decriminalize pot continues in Cedar Falls despite lack of success so far
Author: Allen Hays
Contact: allen.hays@uni.edu
Photo Credit: Courtesy Photo
Website: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier: The Cedar Valley's home page
