Southern Connecticut State University Students Endorses Marijuana Decriminalization
SCSU is now the second student government to endorse Governor Malloy's bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 11, 2011
CONTACT: Thomas Hils, Co-President SSDP Southern Connecticut State University Chapter – (203) 506-9353
Stacia Cosner, SSDP National Office - (202) 293-4414
CONNECTICUT - The student government association at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) passed a resolution in support of Gov. Malloy's marijuana decriminalization Bill, SB 1014, with a vote of 12-4 on Friday afternoon. The Student Government Association represents over 13,000 undergraduates in the Connecticut university system. SCSU Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) Co-President and Student Government Representative Thomas Hils worked with UConn SSDP President and student Senator Sam Tracy to push through endorsement to show support across Connecticut colleges.
"We are proud to be on the forefront of this movement and thankful for the support given to us by the UConn senators. We hope that coming together in a unified front will make a strong statement for progressive cannabis reform in Connecticut," said SSDP representative Thomas Hils, "I am proud of the members of my organization who were willing to take such a bold stance."
This makes Southern Connecticut State University the second student government to endorse the decriminalization bill. The University of Connecticut student government passed a similar resolution by a wide margin of 30-1. With the recent courageous step by Gov. Malloy to make drug policy reform a high priority, CT is setting itself up for a major shift toward more responsible drug policies. They also noted that the state could save taxpayers over $30 million a year by making possession of small amounts of marijuana an infraction rather than a misdemeanor, according to the nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis. Due to the Aid Elimination Penalty of the Higher Education Act, a drug conviction can bar a student from receiving federal financial aid, while other crimes, even murder, do not. Over 2,000 CT students have been denied federal aid due to drug convictions.
The students plan to present this endorsement to the state legislature in the near future.
Students
for Sensible Drug Policy is an international grassroots network of
students who educate their peers, parents, and policymakers about how
the drug war has failed our generation and our society. SSDP mobilizes
and empowers young people to participate in the political process,
pushing for sensible policies to achieve a safer and more just future,
while fighting back against counterproductive drug war policies,
particularly those that directly harm students and youth.
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