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28Wingspancampus newsApril 2, 2012wingspan.lccc.wy.eduColorado to vote on new marijuana rulesWyoming ACLU advocates legalization, regulation of drugBy Mackenzie FosterContributing WriterWhether for medicinalpurposes or just plain entertainment,marijuana is an issuemany states are facing, andWyoming may have to as well.The issue of legalizing marijuanafor medical use or as aregulated private activity dealswith inconsistencies in research,the question of personal rightsand how private activitiesshould be handled from a governmentalstand point.In Colorado, a vote onwhether to regulate marijuanalike alcohol will be on the stateballot in November.Currently, in Colorado,medical marijuana is permittedwith a recommendation from adoctor prescribing the drug formedical purposes.In Wyoming, prescriptions formedical marijuana are illegal. In2011, House Bill 69 was passedspecifying that Wyoming willnot recognize medical marijuanaprescriptions. Sponsorof the legislation, Rep. EdwardBuchanan, R-Goshen, said a pillform approved by the federalFood and Drug Administration“It will sever the connection betweendrugs and crime that today blights somany lives and communities.”is recognized by Wyoming aslegally prescribed.According to the U.S. DrugEnforcement Administrationwebsite, Marinol is a pharmaceuticalproduct containingmarijuana in a pill formthat can be obtained throughprescription. The website alsomentioned no FDA-approvedmedications can be smoked.The DEA’s website said in areport released in 1999 from theInstitute of Medicine, researchersdid not recommend smokingmarijuana for medical use, butthey did support using extractsfrom marijuana for pill medications.Buchanan has a lot ofconcerns with marijuana.Addressing the issue of medicalmarijuana, Buchanan said that“dangers could outweigh medicinalpurposes.” He said theJennifer HorvathMember, Wyoming chapterof the American Civil Liberties Unionstudies regarding medicinal useseem to have contradicting informationconcerning its actualmedical value and the dangersof it being a possible gatewaydrug.Buchanan said he wantedto see the evidence for theactual medical good or dangersthat come from marijuana.Either way, he just wanted solidresearch that showed the truthon marijuana’s effects medicallyand recreationally.Expressing his concerns withthe lack evidence to justify allowingit to be regulated like alcohol,Buchanan said there are “toomany unanswered questionsabout the value of marijuana.”Buchanan also found issues withsome of the state laws dealingwith marijuana being contradictoryto federal law. He said thatuntil these inconsistencies onthe state and federal level arestraightened out, there would bea constant battle over the issue.Coming from anotherperspective on marijuana,Jennifer Horvath, a memberof the Wyoming chapter of theAmerican Civil Liberties Union,represented the group’s stanceon legalizing marijuana. Shesaid the ACLU believed marijuanashould be legalized, butregulated.Horvath said her main issuewith the current marijuanalaws requiring criminal punishmentwas when dealing withan adult engaging in a privateactivity that does not affectthose around that person, thenit should be his decision. “If youare a college student, you are anadult, and you should be able tomake those decisions,” Horvathsaid.Horvath said the ACLU opposedlaws that criminalize theuse of marijuana for five mainreasons. They are laid out in herdocument are as follows:1. Criminal penalty is not appropriatebecause it penalizesprivate conduct.2. The laws negatively affecttypical law-abiding citizenswho suffer the harsh consequencesof an arrest.3. The laws are selectivelyenforced.4. The enforcement relies onmeans that violate civil liberties.5. The laws divert law enforcementmoney and officersfrom more serious crimes.Horvath said the ACLU foundthat “many of the injustices thatresult are the result of prohibition.”She said the prohibition ofmarijuana infringed on privacyrights and often created racialinjustice. Also Horvath notedpeople can lose their jobs,homes and other civil assetsafter a criminal punishment formarijuana use.Writing on the decriminalizationof marijuana, the ACLU’sposition on marijuana documentshe had read, “It will severthe connection between drugsand crime that today blights somany lives and communities.”Colorado residents will bevoting on how they answerthese issues in November, andWyoming residents may facethese issues again in the nearfuture.Multipurpose pass cardsto replace physical keysBy Susann RobbinsNews EditorNot just a one-trick pony, Laramie County Community College identificationcards are really smartcards with many uses.They are library cards, on-campus meal tickets and have a RadioFrequency Identification (RFID) chip to open the doors to the residencehalls, Chad Marley, LCCC’s chief technology officer, said.Now, more buildings will be added to the RFID access, of which thepilot building is the Physical Education Building.“It is the most diverse building when it comes to foot traffic duringregular hours and after hours and who has access to it,” Marley said. TheRFID access for PE has been up and running since March 15.Eventually, more buildings will be added, Bob Atkinson, LCCC’s safetyand security interim director, said. Giving access with the smartcards willplay into the more safety-conscious campus LCCC strives to be, he said.Eventually, smartcards will replace actual physical keys, besides masterkeys, Marley said.“From a financial aspect they also will be more efficient for thecampus. Replacing keys and locks, after all, costs more than replacing asmartcard,” Atkinson said.Campus to install more camerasBy Susann RobbinsNews EditorStep by step, Laramie CountyCommunity College is becoming a safercampus with all the necessary equipment.“It isn’t Big Brother watching you,but Big Brother is protecting you,” BobAtkinson, LCCC’s safety and security interimdirector, said regarding more than 70additional security cameras being installedaround campus.The cameras and other safety measuresbeing taken by LCCC are not because ofa threat but mainly because of a recentassessment by Security Risk ManagementConsultants, Inc., hired by the college,Atkinson said. Also, this makes the campusmore compliant with security measuresaround America for educational institutions,he said.The first 19 cameras were installed afterspring break, and additional cameras willbe installed in groups of 18–20 cameras,Chad Marley, LCCC’s chief technologyofficer, said. Marley added the progressdepends on the buildings having therequired wiring. The cameras are being setup mainly in buildings that have none atthe moment such as the PE Building, AutoDiesel, Arp, Student Services and otherbuildings.There is no exact timeframe in whichall the cameras will be going up, as it alldepends on availability of location and wiring,Marley said.Also, as a part of these proactivemeasures the lighting on campus will beimproved; more access controls will beinstalled, and emergency planning will berevisited and improved.