Journal-Inquirer, 04 Jun 2011 – Legislation to authorize the Correction Department to reduce sentences for prisoners who complete self-improvement programs is agitating minority Republicans as it gets rubber-stamping from the Democratic majority in the General Assembly. Republicans say that while the bill is dressed up as a public-safety measure, it is meant only to save money by reducing the prison population and will increase crime by parolees. Some prisoners convicted of violence, the Republicans note, might qualify for the rehabilitative programs and then earlier release. But of course it probably has been decades since anything good at the state Capitol has been done for the right reasons, and if someone’s ulterior motives disqualified legislation, there might never be any law at all. Governor Malloy and prison administrators say the rehabilitative programs will do some good, and the chance of earning sentence reductions can be a valuable disciplinary tool with prisoners.

Journal-Inquirer, 04 Jun 2011 – Legislation to authorize the Correction Department to reduce sentences for prisoners who complete self-improvement programs is agitating minority Republicans as it gets rubber-stamping from the Democratic majority in the General Assembly. Republicans say that while the bill is dressed up as a public-safety measure, it is meant only to save money by reducing the prison population and will increase crime by parolees. Some prisoners convicted of violence, the Republicans note, might qualify for the rehabilitative programs and then earlier release. But of course it probably has been decades since anything good at the state Capitol has been done for the right reasons, and if someone’s ulterior motives disqualified legislation, there might never be any law at all. Governor Malloy and prison administrators say the rehabilitative programs will do some good, and the chance of earning sentence reductions can be a valuable disciplinary tool with prisoners.

The Brown Daily Herald, 19 Apr 2011 – To the Editor: I celebrate Sofia Ortiz-Hinojosa’s ’11 thoughtful column on the War on Drugs and agree with her on many points. Like her, I think that marijuana should be legalized and know that it is less harmful than alcohol or tobacco. I also share the view that Brown students – and Americans in general – should be more mindful of their role as consumers in a trade that is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths a year, concentrated in countries like Mexico and my native Colombia. Why do we make such a fuss about, say, blood diamonds, when illegal drugs are much more common on campus than precious stones from Liberia or the Congo?

The Brown Daily Herald, 19 Apr 2011 – To the Editor: I celebrate Sofia Ortiz-Hinojosa’s ’11 thoughtful column on the War on Drugs and agree with her on many points. Like her, I think that marijuana should be legalized and know that it is less harmful than alcohol or tobacco. I also share the view that Brown students – and Americans in general – should be more mindful of their role as consumers in a trade that is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths a year, concentrated in countries like Mexico and my native Colombia. Why do we make such a fuss about, say, blood diamonds, when illegal drugs are much more common on campus than precious stones from Liberia or the Congo?

The Brown Daily Herald, 19 Apr 2011 – To the Editor: I celebrate Sofia Ortiz-Hinojosa’s ’11 thoughtful column on the War on Drugs and agree with her on many points. Like her, I think that marijuana should be legalized and know that it is less harmful than alcohol or tobacco. I also share the view that Brown students – and Americans in general – should be more mindful of their role as consumers in a trade that is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths a year, concentrated in countries like Mexico and my native Colombia. Why do we make such a fuss about, say, blood diamonds, when illegal drugs are much more common on campus than precious stones from Liberia or the Congo?

The Brown Daily Herald, 18 Apr 2011 – To the Editor: In an April 14 front-page story ("Hold the foam: passing on Spring Weekend," April 14), an event sponsored by Students for Sensible Drug Policy was used as evidence that campus gets wild and crazy during Spring Weekend. The following is a clarification of our mission, because the representation of our group was far from positive.

The Brown Daily Herald, 18 Apr 2011 – To the Editor: In an April 14 front-page story ("Hold the foam: passing on Spring Weekend," April 14), an event sponsored by Students for Sensible Drug Policy was used as evidence that campus gets wild and crazy during Spring Weekend. The following is a clarification of our mission, because the representation of our group was far from positive.

The Brown Daily Herald, 18 Apr 2011 – To the Editor: In an April 14 front-page story ("Hold the foam: passing on Spring Weekend," April 14), an event sponsored by Students for Sensible Drug Policy was used as evidence that campus gets wild and crazy during Spring Weekend. The following is a clarification of our mission, because the representation of our group was far from positive.

The Brown Daily Herald, 11 Apr 2011 – Though medical marijuana is now legal in Rhode Island, administrators maintain that under both state and federal law, the University cannot allow smoking of marijuana on school grounds. Medical marijuana was legalized in Rhode Island June 16, 2009 after state legislators voted to override a veto by then-Gov. Donald Carcieri ’65. Three new dispensaries for medical marijuana will open in Rhode Island this summer.

The Brown Daily Herald, 11 Apr 2011 – Though medical marijuana is now legal in Rhode Island, administrators maintain that under both state and federal law, the University cannot allow smoking of marijuana on school grounds. Medical marijuana was legalized in Rhode Island June 16, 2009 after state legislators voted to override a veto by then-Gov. Donald Carcieri ’65. Three new dispensaries for medical marijuana will open in Rhode Island this summer.