By Greg Grisolano
ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com
Missouri Southern State University has joined esteemed company — Yale University, Columbia University and the University of California-Berkeley — in the eyes of High Times magazine.
Missouri Southern ranked No. 20 in the nation on the list of the top 20 colleges for marijuana activism, according to a report in the magazine’s October issue.
Kyle Maddy, a sophomore in mass communications and president of the MSSU chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, said the chapter is being recognized for its “Good Samaritan” policy, which states that friends of a person who experiences a drug or alcohol overdose will not receive punishment from the university if they summon police and medical authorities for assistance.
“A lot of students are scared to pick up the phone and call police, because they’re underage,” Maddy said. “What this does is remove all thought of fear and punishment because a life is more important. There’s no punitive punishment like suspension or loss of financial aid. (It) won’t damage education opportunities.”
Maddy said the policy change initially met with some resistance, but it was passed by the student senate. Maddy praised MSSU administrators for their support.
MSSU President Bruce Speck said he considered the Good Samaritan policy a “humanitarian” issue.
“I think if you have someone who is on drugs or alcohol and is dying, then you have a humanitarian responsibility to get help for them,” he said. “And if the law prevents you from doing that, then you have a real problem.”
The High Times article states: “Operating in conservative Joplin, Mo., the SSDP chapter at Missouri Southern State University has amazed national drug-policy activists and locals alike by fiercely advocating for drug-policy reform in a difficult political climate.”
“Compared to all the other colleges, we’re probably a speck on the map,” Maddy said. “They’re all bigger colleges, so for little old MSSU to be recognized in the people’s magazine of a stoner’s era, it definitely shows that no matter where you live, sensible policies will prevail.”
The top three schools — the University of Maryland, the University of Michigan and the University of Texas-El Paso — were recognized for students’ efforts to reform drug policy both on campus and at the national level. The organization has more than 160 chapters such as Southern’s on campuses in the United States, and sister organizations operate in Canada and Mexico.
The local chapter at MSSU was established in 2005. Maddy said the group’s goal is to promote education and sensible policy for drug use, advocating treatment rather than punishment.
“We do not condone or condemn the use of any drugs. We’re simply saying the policies in place right now are inadequate,” he said. “Our chapter and our organization throughout the country looks at this as a health issue, not a criminal issue. We need rehabilitation, counseling and treatment for these individuals with their problems.”
The article also states that Missouri Southern student Darrell Sour was elected to serve on the national board of directors for the organization.
Maddy and his older brother, Kelly Maddy, were involved in campaign last year to put an initiative on decriminalizing marijuana before Joplin voters. That effort fell a few hundred signatures short.
Kyle Maddy said the MSSU group has about 10 active members who attend meetings and organize events on campus and in the community.
“We’re a smaller group, but we definitely get what we need accomplished,” he said. “We try to make as much noise as we can, but it’s hard to increase numbers with such a touchy issue.”
Upcoming event
The MSSU chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy will put on a lecture featuring Mason Tvert, executive director of Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation, a Boulder, Colo., group whose mission is to convince the public that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol to both the users and society.
Tvert will speak Thursday, Sept. 10, in Cornell Auditorium at MSSU.
Local News
<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/extra.gif" border=0> MSSU students receive national recognition for drug policy reform <font color="#ff0000">w/ Students for Sensible Drug Policy organization links</font>
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