Local lawyer takes state marijuana laws to court By MARTY CARLIN and CHRIS SIMEONI ' Collegian Staff Writers The constitutionality of Penn sylvania's marijuana laws is now being c;;tallenged. . A defense suit, filed by Alan Ellis, a State College lawyer, and assisted by Keith Stroup, national director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) was sub mitted yesterday in Holidaysburg. , L ,, Ellis is filing the motion to dismiss the charges of 20 out of 30 defendants arrested last June in Holidaysburg for selling marijuana on the grounds that Pennsylvania marijuana laws are un constitutional. At a press conference yesterday, Ellis paid ,that according to Pennsylvania `laws, marijuana is classified with barbituates, . heroin and other proven dangerous drugs. He said classifying marijuana with these drugs is "irrational, arbitrary and un . r+l . . si . . , . , the APRlik , . ..... Ten vi ce n e n s t d s a p y er o , September em be r 15,1976 a,,,. daily CV' leg' la Vol. 77, N 0.38 16 pages _University Park, Pennsylvania Published by Students of The Pennsylvania State University . . . _ • 170,000 nationwide leave jobs Auto workers strike Ford Co. DETROIT (UPI) Ford Motor Co.'s , 170,000 blue collar workers walked off , the job last night in a nationwide strike %%that followed a collapse ' of contract negotiations. The strike came at precisely 11:59 p.m. EDT the official deadline despite contract propo%als Ford claimed would be worth "well over $1 billion" ,to its employes over the next three years. _ The United Auto Workers said reduced "work time in the nation's auto plants was its key demand. The strike shut down Ford plants in 22 states and spelled possible trouble for the nation's economic recovery. UAW .President Leonard Woodcock, addressing a news conference six hours before the strike deadline, said Ford "continued to ignore completely, until The last bargaining session was held Monday morning. In a break from the ‘ pas,t, -,. thpre .. were, _no ,:extencictd .negottitions:' le - acting "iip:_tolhe "strike , deadline. ' . d ()Auto stri s n tconfi eh t .. .keit . ' a "Both sides agreed not to go through ny charade when it was obvious we were not going to get anywhere," Woodcock said. Monday, major bargaining, issues ,we of surviving new walkout DETROIT (UPI) Worried resignation not cocky defiance showed on the faces of streaming in and out of the Ford Motor ..)) Co. River Rouge complex yesterday hours befoi'e strike deadline. "I don't really want to go out, and not many others around here do either," said metal finisher Al Martin, 36. "But I guess it's the only way to get anything efrom the company." Martin, father of three with a fourth on the way; is one of the lucky ones. He salted way two extra months of medical coverage and he has lined up a part-time job repairing bent fenders. But he is like many of the 170,000 Ford workers wondering how' long they can survive financially with $4O to $5O a week in strike benefits plus whatever they scrape up in side jobs. ' "A strike always hurts the rank and file more," Martin said as he left the suburban Dearborn plant. "There's no way you can hurt Ford." u..„,,.. , .*-''''''"'"',.-.,•%,„t,.,,,, Lines and cosines constitutional. Ellis said his motion is based on a num ber of legal precedents, mainly ones established in Alaska and Connecticut. In Alaska, marijuana -is now legal for personal use. In Connecticut, which had marijuana laws similar to Penn sylvania's, the courts decided those laws were unconstitutional. Ellis said in Pennsylvania possession of one marijuana cigarette can bring a first offender five years and-or a $15,000 fine. He said a barbituate arrest can bring the same five-year penalty. Stroup said both offenses are con sidered a felony that results in a criminal record. He said that with a criminal record, one would not be able to become a licensed professional, nor would one be able to vote. Another defense which will be used, Ellis said, concerns the lack of speedy trials in drug offenses. He said the 30 defendants were arrested in June, five months after the alleged sales. Their earlier." • It was the second time since 1967 that the powerful union has struck the No. 2 automaker. The walkout in 1967 dragged on for 66 days. No one at Ford world headquarters in suburban Dearborn was willing to predict how long a walkout by UAW workers in 22 states might last. ' • But Woodcock said, "Obviously we will work as hard as possible for the shortest possible' strike." Woodcock said the union's proposals for A new contract were "clear and uncomplicated." "They left little room for misun derstanding," Woodcock said in a 10- minute news conference. "Also clear was our union's willingness to engage in give amktake bargaining over those proposal." 'Wooddcick•'!iiiiidi'Ford- - had ';'refused to During the two-year 'industry sales slump, the worst since the depression, more than 300,000 industry workers were laid off. Many are just now recouping. The companies, however, rebounded quickly. In the last quarter, Ford alone ran up a record $442 million profit. workers "I still haven't recovered from the time I was laid off," Ruben Arocho, 33, said.' "Not too many workers have. But the company did. They always do." Enthusiasm for a strike generally was limited to single workers or those with working wives. "I can make it easy on $40," bachelor J.D. Gholar said. "I'm going to use the time for a little vacation. I'll go see friends in dleveland, and then l l'll go to Davenport, lowa. It won't bother me much." A popular game among employes yesterday was guessing how long a strike would last. A few said they wouldn't be surprised if a walkout lasted past Christmas, but the most common prediction was one to two weeks. One student found the solution to the problem of finding a quiet place to study. She's propped against the wall near a swim ming pool at Laurel Glen Apartments. respond to union demands in seven areas. These included shorter work time, financial relief for retirees, im provement in the special layoff fund that provides money for idled workers and improvements in the workers' health insurance plans. "On virtually all issues, Ford has been unresponsive and unwilling to engage in serious bargaining," Woodcock said. It was evident as early as last Friday that a strike was imminent at the union's "target firm," selected to provide the basic auto industry contract. At issue when the contract talks broke down were UAW demands for wage increases in the range of 3 per cent a year, greater financing of the sub fund that gives idled workers up to 95 per cent of their regular take home pay, and the key short work time demand. Ford finally recognized the ' union demand on Monday, with less than 30 hours remaining until the strike deadline. But Woodcock said the proposal to set up a "time bank" that would give high seniority workers up to one week extra off a month if they•ob tained a good attendance record was not acceptable. Ford Chairman Henry Ford II set the tone for the final days last Wednesday when he said that Ford workers already enjoy an average 31 and one half days off a year in paid holidays and vacations. He said he was opposed to "paying people for not working." The strike against Ford will not affect output at General Motors, Chrysler or American Motors whose 530,000 workers will continue to build cars until Ford and the UAW agree on a new contract. It will then be each company's turn to settle for the same basic terms. . =MEM "These people are required to defend themselves," Ellis said. This time lapse, he said, can hurt the defendant. "There is no legitimate reason to stall a case." Stroup said that each year ap proximately 500,000 people are arrested for marijuana possession and-or sale. He said' these persons are part of the 13 million persons who smoke regularly, adding that these persons are law abiding citizens except thgt they smoke marijuana. Stroup said their defense motion does not ask for protection for persons who deal in large quantities of marijuana, but for those persons who make "ac comodation sales" of small quantities to friends. ..ww."*"` . ~......,.."*. Photo by Barry Wyshlnskt trials, he added, will not start until October. Stroup said the, cost for arresting and convicting marijuana users is about $6OO million per year for the entire country. He said police prefer to arrest marijuana smokers because they have bro Moynihan wins By United Press International Daniel Patrick Moynihan, professor, diplomat and presidential adviser, opened his new career in big time politics last night by winning the Democratic Senate nomination in New York. He will face Conservative-Republican Sen. James Buckley in November. Moynihan, who has held appointive diplomatic and White House posts under the last four Democratic and Republican administrations, beat three liberals and a conservative in the New York primary. Except for an ill-starred run for city office in New York, it was the flamboyant Moynihan's first effort to win office. He beat an equally colorful opponent, Rep. Bella Abzug, by capitalizing on his role as Israel's defender at the United Nations and by splitting the state's strong Democratic liberal wing With 75 per cent of the election districts reporting, Moynihan had 37 per cent of the vote and Mrs. Abzug 35 per cent. Moynihan had 197,659 votes to Mrs. Abzug's 189,993. Also running former Attorney General Ramsey Clark and New York City Council President Paul O'Dwyer. The fifth candidate was Abraham Hirschfeld, a wealthy businessman. Buckley, who won the Senate seat once held by Robert F. Kennedy with 39 per cent of the vote in 1970, had no trouble beating Rep. Peter Peyser, a GOP liberal, for the Republican nomination. Buckley, brother of the well known conservative columnist and commentator, already had the state's Con servative Party nomination. Elsewhere, in primaries from New England to the Rockies, there were few upsets. Democratic stalwarts came through with little trouble. Sen. Edw,ard Kennedy easily won nomination for a third term in Massachusetts; Sen. Hubert Humphrey got the party's nod for a fifth term in Minnesota; Sen. William Proxmire had no problems in Wisconsin; Sen. Howard Cannon got the nomination in Nevada. Two Democratic governors also sought Senate seats. Gov. Thomas Salmon beat a consumer activist in Vermont to to oppose Sen. Robert Stafford, who won the GOP nomination with ease. In Rhode Island, Gov. Philip W. Noel was behind in the crowded Democratic race for the senatorial nomination. With all precincts reporting, challenger Richard Lorber led Noel by 361 votes, with only 3,111 absentee ballots remaining to be counted. The results of the races may not be known for about a week. The Rhode Island Election Commission scheduled a meeting this morning to decide when to count the absentee ballots. Kennedy will be opposed in November by Republican businessman Mike Robertson; College professor Jerry Brekke led the Republican field to challenge Humphrey. In other primaries yesterday: New Hampshire GOP Gov. Meldrim Thomson beat a more liberal challenger and will face Democrat Harry Spanos, a former legislator, in November. Vermont State Treasurer StWla Hackel won the Democratic nomination to succeed Salmon. She faces "less chance of getting hurt. Marijuana smokers do not carry guns." Stroup said the money to arrest marijuana smokers is coming from taxpayers some who smoke pot. "We can't afford to keep arresting kids," he said. "We have to call a halt to the slaughter of young people." Stroup announced that a decriminalization bill will be introduced into the Pennsylvania house of representatives in January. NORML, Stroup said, will introduce decriminalization bills into 30 state houses. If the Pennsylvania legislators fail to act, Stroup said, and the courts declare Pennsylvania marijuana laws un constitutional, then the legislators will not be able to regulate marijuana. Ellis said legislators are concerned about this year being an election year, adding that they do not want to deal with the marijuana conflict because it is a "touchy issue." r ... Livingston Taylor played and sang his way into the hearts of 1,200 local fans last night. Review on page 8. W 202 PIaTEE in New York Republican Richard Snelling in her , effort to become the state's first woman governor. , • North Carolina Republican David Flaherty will seek to succeed the state's first GOP governor of the century, James HolshoUser. The Democrats have nominated Lt. Gov. James Hunt for the contest. Democrat James Green won the nomination for lieutenant governor, beating the black Mayor of Chapel Hill, Howard Lee. Nevada Cannon, beating two Democrats, will be op posed in the fall by former GOP Rep. David Towell, who also won a three-way primary. Wyoming Republican State Sen. Malcolm Wallop led a field of three for the nomination to oppose Sen. Gale McGee, who had no Democratic primary oppostion. Rep. Teno Ron callio, D-Wyo., won renomination and will face Republican Larry Hart. Colorado Rep. , .Frank Ei'ans won the only Democratic primary in the state and will be opposed by Republican Melvin Takari in November. Utah Republican Orrin Hatch won the Republican nomination to oppose Sen. Frank Moss, who had no Democratic oppostion. Rep. Allan Howe, the Utah Democrat convicted of soliciting sex from two police decoys, had no primary opposition. What's inside Remedial courses in higher education Cooking column Help for the handicapped AWS in trouble Women's credit guide Sports Registration Voter's registration will be held today, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6p.m. on the ground floor of the HUB. At this time, persons already registered to vote may change their names, addresses or party affiliations. . Cloudy, with occasional rain developing by early after noon and continuing into tonight. The high temperature today will be 75 and the low tonight 60. Skies will remain mostly cloudy Thursday with a high of 73. Stroup said it would be better if the courts, rather than the state, deal with the marijuana issue because the state and "Madison Avenue won't be able to exploit marijuana as they have alcohol and cigarettes." The trial will begain Oct. 11. Expert testimony has been scheduled, Stroup said, such as Dr. Lester Grinspoon. from Harvard University . and J. Thomas Ungerleider from UCLA Neuro psychiatric Institute. Stroup said Grinspoon and Ungerleider are "probably the world's best experts on marijuana." Stroup said that according to federal estimates 10,000 tons of marijuana come into the country every day, adding that only 15 per cent of this amount is con fiscated. Stroup said the federal government is spending enormous amounts to confiscate so little. This alone, Stroup said, ought to convince legislators that the marijuana issue should be looked into. Weather 3 COPIES page a page 4 page 5 page 7 page 7 pages 9 and 10
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