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'Hemp, hemp, hooray': Ashland rally backs fiber, legalized pot Photo by Bob Pennell North Medford High School senior Caleb Shrode, 17, expresses his views on marijuana laws during a hemp rally Thursday in the Ashland Plaza. Moon, a disc jockey from Takilma, holds a picture of MAD Magazine's Alfred E. Newman in the background. By JOHN DARLING ASHLAND -- Members of an unusual Southern Oregon University club -- described as everything from "mild-mannered" to "controversial" -- staged a march Thursday to make its voice heard. Shouting "hemp, hemp, hooray," about 100 protesters organized and led by the Hemp Club marched up Siskiyou Boulevard, demanding legalization of marijuana and acceptance of its cousin, hemp, as an environmentally friendly replacement for wood and plastic. At a post-march rally in front of SOU's Churchill Hall, club president Benjamin Davidson told demonstrators, "They tell us marijuana can ruin our lives. And to prove it, we'll yank your student financial aid, seize your house, fine you beyond your ability to pay and put you in jail." Davidson, a junior in psychology at SOU, said the club's goal now is to help gather signatures to get two measures on the November ballot: one to legalize marijuana use and the other to normalize production of hemp for a range of uses, including fiber, food, fuel and construction materials. The club also is working to "get to the politicians" and reverse a recent federal law barring financial aid to any student convicted of a drug offense, essentially barring them from higher education, Davidson said. The Hemp Club, which has been in existence for at least 12 years, receives funds from student fees, which are voted on by the Inter-Club Council (ICC), a large board comprising members from each of SOU's 74 clubs. The 60-member club received $425 from ICC this school year, including $325 for Thursday's events, said Carol Gies, director of student activities. "The club and Ben have been great to work with. They've been very careful not to violate any laws," she said. "They're free to advocate legalization of marijuana, but their main focus has been the promotion of hemp and hemp products. Sometimes he (Davidson) pushes the envelope and uses tricky wording to get students involved and promote his events. A few students have objected to that." The Hemp Club promoted this week's events with a large sign on Siskiyou Boulevard featuring a big marijuana leaf. "They're considered just another club here," said student Jerod Sorber, director of the Stevenson Union's special programs and co-speaker of ICC. "They're more controversial than some, but everyone on campus understands there are clubs here they won't agree with, but they still have a right to be here." Associate Provost Charles Lane said the club has been a "quiet, mild-mannered" group and its demonstration was "entirely civil." The club, he added, "can speak to anything they want to and we're not going to try to muzzle them." Associated Students of SOU President Betsy Fox said no complaints about the club have been voiced to her, and "if they're getting ICC funding, they must be doing something right." Supporters of the Hemp Club's rally Thursday ranged from high school students to adults who use marijuana for medical reasons. "It should be anyone's personal choice what they put in their body," said Caleb Shrode, 17, a North Medford High School student. Heather Boyd, of Medford, said she can't afford the doctor required to get medical marijuana for pain and appetite loss due to lupus and diabetes. "The medicines tie my stomach in knots and don't do what they're supposed to do," she said. "But when I smoke pot, I can eat and don't feel the pain." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA