The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 09, 1968, Image 10
Pot,
The dormant issue of drugs on South Caro
lina's college campuses exploded this week,
propelled by a series of articles in The
Charleston News and Courier.
In light of the storm of protest and reac
tion that greeted their publication, we must
examine both the articles and the facts or
non-facts that supported them.
Reporter Billy E. Bowles begins his first
report in the USC Gamecock Room with a
group of students who "had been describing
the effects smoking marijuana had on them."
"Had anyone tried anything 'harder' than
marijuana?"
"'Yeah, alcohol,' one youth replied.
"A dozen USC students interviewed in the
lobby of their fraternity house disagree with
him to the extent [sic] that smoked mari
juana or expressed a desire to do so. But two
of them estimated that one out of every 10
USC students had tried marijuana, pot, as it
more often is called.
"If that estimate were accurate it would
mean that at this campus a golf drive away
from the State Capitol, 1,000 persons have
smoked marijuana.
"Yet the estimates by the pot smokers
themselves run even higher.
"'Probably 25 per cent of this student
body of 13,000 have tried marijuana,' said
-A
)ON CAUGHMAN
Associate Editor
HIEYWARD) ADDIY
Asst. Sp)orts Editor
JIMMY WANNAMAKER
Sports Editor
Pep Pills
USC Students Say 1 Of 10 Have
List, 0I1 Pro t P111 Is e6P#VOJ As l . if
SLED Probe )r Sg s
S;w enrs
To Be Asked
By Clemson -
JOnes plns
Probe Of
Drug Abuse
L8? tcy Asis
a young undergraduate who has smoked pot
hi1mself and been disajppointed over tihe ef
fect it produce(d 'l y 90 per cent
would tIy it. Probably a fraction of one
per cent actually use it.'"
This is an examplIe of the "information'"
that ig-ritt,l a stori -a survey reither
-41intif Ic. cornplelt, norI dIncInenAted; s tudvent
ou 0 v.1's wh s .'et 1tiZItts ca o nly be a guess.
9t
rt
t
C'AROl) MI'L.LINAX
Edlitor-in-Chief
.1
MIKE KROCIIMALN
F'aculty Editor
CARL STEPPI)I
Ncws Editor
And Pro
Tried Pot
-N Camp
SU.S. C',pReo
Overg BverrunR
d
Staff photo by Elliott Borenstein
The estimates of a small, select sample
of stutents iave been turned into near-fact:
I SC students Say one of 10 have tried pot.
The figures cannot be disproved. Nor can
they he proved.
H1owever, regardless of their accuracy or
ilaccuracy, we could not condone the poor
journalistic practice that portrays unsub
stantiated opinions 1a a ). picture of life at
Page Ten -THE GAMECOCK -
The Gamc
Hate it, love it, damn it, bless it in
. outw
Ask the editors, the staff writ- As
rs, the business staff, the car
[onists, and the typists how Th
ktey feel about the Gamecock. it'
wort
Ask them why they spend the
me they do to put out a news- S
aper. Ask them if it is worth raph
Y SALLY ZALAKIN
MARY ,JANE HENS'I
Asst. Managing Edit
per Persp
Carolina-or elsewhere.
Poor journalism or not, the reports in
itiated action and controversy.
Clemson University President Robert Ed
wards said after two stories on Clemson and
drugs that he knew nothing about Clemson's
marijuana and pill problems except what
he had "read in the papers."
"We've had no problem. I just hope we
don't. I'm going to get the help we need
to run it down. We are ging to get SLED
to help us," Edwards said.
Although efforts to eliminate the drug
problem are commendable, we believe the
call for a concentrated police probe at this
time is reaction rather than positive action.
We further believe it will serve mainly
to drive offenders underground, alienate
students and appease the furor raised by
sensationalism.
According to State Law Enforcement Di
vi;ion Chief J. P. Strom, his agency main
tains constant contact with college police
and even students on such matters.
"The situation could not he out of hand
at any state-supported college, or any other
college," Strom said.
We are proud that the University of South
Carolina did not pursie a course of hasty
reaction but instead elected to treat the issue
Editorials
Commentary
February 9, 1968
Fcock
the long run, if the bad
eighs the good.
k them.
ey will say, we hate it, love
amn it, bless it. Yes, it's
hi it.
if f photos by Chief Photog
r Chip Galloway.
m
CIP GAL
Chief Phot'
'ON
ective
in its proper perspective.
"It has been our policy to have a quiet
but strong continuing investigation rather
than announcing a full-scale probe, which
would be equivalent to shouting 'raid,'" USC
President Thomas F. Jones said.
"Let me emphasize that we care. We are
concerned.
"We follow up, to the best of our ability,
all rumors and reports of improper or illicit
activity. Violators of regulations are disci
plined. Wherevcr criminal behavior is indi
cated law enforcement authorities are
brought in."
"I want to emphasize that ninety-nine per
cent of our University students who live O(1
and exemplary lives must not be libeled or
slandered by big-time headlines relating to
the small minority who 'play out of bounls.'"
Contrary to another News and Courier
article, I)r. Jones did not "sharply deny any
widespread use of marijuana or pep pills."
We find his statements to be in line.
There is simply an effort to plae drullh
usage in its true relationship to University
life.
A drugs problem does exist on this cam
pus --and not because of sensational journal
ism. It must be, and has been, dealt with
responsibly.
V
MARY McILA
wiiA ffiminin