University of Virginia Library

Marginal Marijuana

Your front page article on marijuana
at U. Va. (November 28
issue) has a somewhat phoney
ring to it. If the use and sale of
pot is prohibited by university
policy and if our honor system is
so fine (which is restated ad
nauseum in every issue of the CD),
then logically a university administrator
could ask Mr. Larsen the
name of his mysterious "Jim" and
he would be honor bound to
respond or else subject himself
to administrative procedures. Isn't
that correct?

At any rate, it strikes me funny
that a newspaper which prides all
the students here on their maturity
should make such a big cause
out of legalized marijuana. After
being in Europe for three years
and seeing people who would give
anything to live like Americans,
it seems strange that we should
need such escapes from our "hard
lives" as either marijuana or
booze. But if we do, then we have
plenty of alcohol around. Now
really, isn't marijuana an awfully
marginal issue?

David P. Miller
2nd year graduate

Perhaps The Cavalier Daily hasn't
said enough about the Honor System,
for you apparently have yet to understand
it. The system applies to specific
incidences of lying, cheating or stealing
and cannot be used by any administrator
to force information from
a student. We are happy to report
that in our four years here we have
heard of no attempts by administrators
to abuse the system in the way
you charge.

As for your second question, we
feel that marijuana is far from being
a marginal issue, at least for the
majority of students at the University
and at every other college save the
most backwater. Despite the sophistication
you doubtless picked up in
your three years in Europe, you seem
remarkably out of touch with the
times. —Ed.