Marijuana Activists Suing CU-Boulder Over 4/20 Campus Closure
Medical
marijuana supporters are filing suit against University of Colorado Boulder for
a campus shut down this Friday. CU Boulder has indicated that it does not want
the annual marijuana smoke out held on campus to be stopped and because of
which around 10,000 people have gathered at Norlin Quad to light up on 4/20 in
recent years. The marijuana activists are represented by Denver attorney Rob
Corry who is known for defending cannabis or medical marijuana related lawsuits. Cory has defended more medical
marijuana criminal cases than any other attorney in Colorado and has
participated in the Huffington Posts Great Marijuana Debate. He is one of
the few attorneys who have won several exonerations for defendants facing
medical marijuana charges.
Regarding the
campus shut down, Cory told Huffington Post To my knowledge, there has never
been a case where a public university has blockaded and shut down its entire
campus to squelch free speech activity there.” He further adds, “This
is a radical overreaching on CU’s part. When did marijuana become so offensive, at CU-Boulder of all places?
Through the
schools official website, Chancellor of CU Boulder, Philip P. DiStefano made a
statement regarding why such harsh measures were taken. According to him, The
gathering disrupts teaching and research right in the heart of the campus. The
size of the crowd has become unmanageable, and limits our faculty, staff and
students from getting to class, entering buildings and doing their basic work.
It needs to end.
In a letter to Denver Post, DiStefano further explains, If it is a protest,
then every party on every college campus in America is a protest. On the other
hand, Cory states defending the protestors, There is no evidence that this is
a disruption to CU’s mission. In fact, this peaceful protest is entirely
consistent with CU’s mission of education and empowering students and citizens
to engage in open discussion and exchange of ideas regarding relevant issues of
the day. A police crackdown against ideas will harm CU’s reputation far more
than any peaceful protest will.
Further
defending the 420 event, which was referred by DiStefano as a party, Cory says,
There is no evidence to support the view that this is a “party,”
Corry said. This event involves expressive conduct and free speech and
association, which if not safe on a public college campus, is not safe
anywhere.” While CU-Boulder student government is endorsing the move to stop
the 4/20 event
, it is advocating the Wyclef Jean event as an alternative to the
smoke out.
