PAGE 6
Disappointing Freshman Pot Or Not To Pot
Approximately two hundred voters elected
class officers for a 617 member freshman class
during elections last week.
Each new freshman class ideally should
bring- a new, active force to school activities
each year. Obviously, this freshman class is
lacking something.
The two hundred elected a UP President
and an SP Vice-president. We trust that the
two men will be willing to put party biases
aside when the best interests of the freshman
class are at stake. It is crucial that these
two officers pull together to coerse the evi
dently shredded freshman class.
Begin That Beard
The 49’er contest ends in approximately one
month, so guys you still have time to begin
that beard.
There are a number of sharp looking beards
on campus -- the competition is getting rougher.
The Journal and annual staff would like to see
every man on campus sporting a beard. Talk
about image!!
THE CAROLINA JOURNAL
EDITOR GAYLE WATTS
Editor’s Special Consultant j;iUson Clary Jr
Business Manager Frank Crooks
Lafferty
CartoonisL Geraldine Ledford
STAFF: Patrick McKeely, Kay Watson, Rodney Smith, Carol Haywood.
Pariy BUss, Monte Zepeda, Joe Davidson, Steve Jones, Arthur
Gentile. Linda Craven, Tommy Harmon, Sandy Griffin, David Staley.
Ror..ue Foster Frank Coley, Frank Sasser
mUshed weekly on Wednesdays by the students of the University
of North Carolina at Charlotte.
REPRESENTED FOR NATIONAL. ADVERTISING SY
National Educational Advertising Services
J A DIVISION OF \ ^
READER'S DIGEST SALES S SERVICES. INC. ^
360 Lexington Ave., New York. N. Y. 1QQ17 | |
By RODNEY SMITH
Perhaps the freshmen do not realize just how
vital the class officer positions are. The pre
sident presides over class meetings, and, more
important, is the strongest voice presenting the
freshman class in the student legislature. All
activities for the freshman class are iniatiated
by the president and fall under his supervi
sion. The vice-president also represents his
class in the student legislature, and he must
be capable of standing in for the president if
he is unable to discharge his dutires at any
time.
(Of the students questioned, all
but one agreed that they could eas
ily acquire marijuana through their
contacts on this campus. So, little
renowned rising university that
we are, we arenot untouched by
the issue. Tberefore, despite pro
tests from several sources, and
after serious consideration, I am
submitting this article with reser
vations.)
Therefore, the freshmen have allowed one-
third of their number to elect the officers and
representatives who will make policies and plan
class social activities that will effect the
entire class.
Some will say that a 3 0% turn-out is a good
showing in comparsion with 15% and 20% turn
outs at other schools. Nevertheless, should
two-thirds of the class be guided by the min
ority?
A new institution expecially needs working,
active students. In most new situations, the new
ness and excitement of growth in itself are enough
to instill in its participants a desire to be a
contributing part. Not so here, apparently.
The new president, Mike Robertson, has a
looming task confronting him. Apathy has proven
itself a tough, persistent enemy for the most
dedicated combatants. The Journal staff urges
Mr. Robertson to address himself to this pro
blem from the beginning of his term in office.
The growing, selling, buying,
assessing, and smoking of mari
juana in the United States is ille
gal, These acts are crimes, yes,
CRIMES. They should not be. The
laws of the United States treat the
stimulant marijuana as if it fell
in the same class as heroin, co
caine, and morphine. This is in
correct treatment. Marijuana is
not habit forming and does not lead
to heroin, or “horse.” There have
never been any cases of a person
becoming physically addicted to
marijuana. There never wUl be.
There is a possibility, and not a
remote one, that the smoking of
“pot” may become a psychological
compulsion, but the same danger
is existent with tobacco. If a per
son who has been smoking mari
juana is refused pot for an ex
tended length of time, he will not
go through the physical reactions
that are experienced by addicts on
“cold turkey.”
Now a brief comparison of mari
juana and alcohol. People do fre
quently become addicted to alcohol
to a point that they cannot func
tion physically without it. Not so
with marijuana, which is less ex
pensive. Many people who have
been smoking marijuana for years
have quit simply to show the public
that it can be done, but we re
fuse to ascribe any value to these
cases. The public has its mind
made up to stick to an outdated
opinion. The American public is,
indeed, a strange animal.
It has been pointed out that many
crimes are committed with the ob
taining of money topurchase mari
juana as a motive. No doubt this
is true, but if marijuana were
legal, the cost would go down and
enterprising “dealers” could not
elevate prices to the point where a
little weed becomes too expensive
to be included in the average
budget of an American worker.
By making marijuana against the
law it seems that the U. S. gov
ernment is trying to hand down a
moral judgment lor aU to adopt.
If the government must look at pot
as a moral issue, they should hes
itate a moment and meditate on
another ethical question—is it
right lor a handful to prescribe
moral standards for multitudes?
The standards imposed from au
thority are likely to be rejected
simply because of their source,
but in this case it is quite ob
vious that there is already a shift
ing of the mores to accept mari
juana. The law is in direct op
position to the mos involved here.
There is an obvious cultural lag—
a paradox that shouldn’t be.
What is thought of marijuana on
the UNC-C campus? In an effort
to answer this question several stu
dents were asked their opinions.
Bud Stewart: “By trying to leg
alize marijuana using the argument
that liquor and cigarettes are legai,
you are saying that we should add
to our sins. That’s not logical.”
First of all, Mr. Stewart has
judged the use or disuse of mari
juana on a moral basis — a pre
supposition notuniversallyaccept-
ed. This false •'♦•emise, i.e. that
Salaries: A Must
For Quality
By RODNEY SMITH
The editor of the Carolina Jour
nal and the editor of Rogues *n
Rascals both have desks in sep
arate offices in the Union base
ment. What do thesfe two energetic
young ladies have in common?
Answer: The amount of time spent
behind these desks. Miss Candy
Kimbrell is a case in point. The
many section editors must be coor
dinated and their efforts must be
kept on a single theme. There is
much to be d«ie concerning the
advertising section. Many firms
must be contacted and visited.
Attention
The Business Club will meet
today in Room C-122 immediately
after the lecture by Mr. Bob Kirby.
The Barnstormers will meet to
day at 11:30 for a short business
meeting. All members should at
tend; new members and visitors
are welcome. The meeting will
held in the Barnstormer of
fice (B-5) Union.
SEMINAR: “DeGaulle — the Dil
emma”. 11:30 ajn. today in Room
U-233. With comment and discus
sion by Dr. Slechta, Moderator;
Dr. Macy, Dr. Bush, Dr. Jamgo-
tch. Dr. Morrill. Everyone is in
vited by the French Club.
Students for ACTION present a
forum on “Open Housing” today at
11:30 a.m. Mr. Curt Hartog, in
structor in English, will discuss
social implications, and Mr. W. H.
Carstarphen, administrative as
sistant to Charlotte City Manager,
will discuss the administrative as
pects.
COMING: November 8, a Teach
In — Vietnam Peace or War? Guest
speakers, films, and ... demon
strations??
Photographers must be contacted,
encouraged, instructed, and as
sisted. Other pictures must be
taken by the editor herself. Proof
sheets must be made up and pic
tures printed. Ideas must come in
as a stream, calling for original
thought and constant worry. De
cisions must be made concerning
type, cropping, and layout. Then
deadlines must be met, calling for
many long hours and several lost
weekends. Trips must be made to
Winston-Salem to be sure that the
publisher is doing what he has
been asked to do. Finances are a
constant problem and critical stu
dents must be faced constantly con-
concerning the fall delivery.
Deserving of a salary? Miss Kim-
brell certainly is!
Journal editor Miss Gayle Watts
spends hours each day involved in
assigning articles, writing of arti
cles, typing of articles, and proof
reading of articles. Then, when
Sunday rolls around, she parks her
car in the Union lot and moves in
until the paper is put together,
usually in the not-so-wee hours
of Monday morning. Then, when the
advertising salesman has finished
selling, the writer has finished
writing, and the printer has fin
ished printing, Gayle must ride
across town to pick the papers up,
bring them back, and distribute
them among the stand in the build
ings. Time, effort, determination,
patience are just a tew of the
requirements. So why shouldn’t
she be salaried? Without the pro
posed $300 salary she would pro
bably have to work in a depart
ment store or a filling station,
where she could make a fortune
by working the same amount of
time that she works for the Jour
nal.
Another rationale behind salary
ing editors is that the quality of
future editors may depend on whe
ther or not salaries are appro
priated. You get what you pay for.
This year we have two extremely
capable editors, so why shouldn’t
we pay for what we got?
Rod Smith
smoking pot is sinful, tends
make the argument fallacious, i
Mr. Stewart, not logical.
Lane Hurley: “If I get to tij
point where I must turn to man
juana to solve my problems, tlii
I’m no longer worth saving,
can’t solve real problems ini
unreal world. However, I do 1»
lieve that the present laws ci
cerning marijuana should be
evaluated.
Brenton Steel: “The ‘Law of I
Land’ says that it is wrong
smoke pot and that’s enough fJ
me, I’m not personally objeca
to it, but it is against the lawl
Miss X: “I think pot’s groovj
There are so many tensions
the world today that, vrithout soa.
escape, we would really have bio*
rmnds. Besides, pot is cheaper thai
liquor and it won’t make you fatj
Bill Billups: “If it has be
proven to be harmful to the b«,
and has harmful effects, thenj
should not be legalized. Second
if it were legalized, I would i
wish it to become a psycholou
cal crutch, because there are othf
ways to release tension and pn
blems, using more ration
methods. I’m against anything i
a crutch, even the church. I
people to enjoy life by facing th^
problems.”
Mr, X ( not to be confused wil
Miss X): “If all the legislator
and readers of POST would tut
on, then pot would be legalizi
by the end of the year.”
Jerry Hancock: “I don’t ttii
that marijuana is the danger tl
everyone says it is, but the
should be sane limitation. To
banning of marijuana is not I
answer.”
Mr. Z: “I think it’s a car
over from old taboos. It has
business being illegal unle
alcohol is illegalized too. Peop
who condemn it without even tryi
it should all be stacked up. Tl
solution to world problems is
turn the whole world on,’’
Can^ Kimbrell: “Pot will
as difficult to legalize as alcoh
was during Prohibition because
a great marry narrow-minded pei
pie and many ole wive’s tale
Pot as it is now is a very dai
gerous thing to be associated wi
because of its connotations and th
is unfortunate because it could I
enjoyed more in a society whii
sanctioned its use.”
Let this article not be taken i
an absolute plea for legalizatii
of marijuana, but merely as
hint that the present situation ii
vites immediate evaluation and th
the marijuana question is defin
tely an important issue of todg
We are neither for supression
marijuana in the United State;
nor are we advocating its stockir
on your local Harris-Teeter she!
ves; we are merely trying top
the facts down for all to see ar
leaning towards liberalization i
present U. S. laws dealing marl
juana. Each individual should b
allowed the right to decide fo
himself (on a moral basis if nec
essary, or on a psychological basi
is possible) whether “to pot o
not to pot.
tin