27 June 2007

Are Bong Hits Illegal in Alaska?

I'm a bit late to the party on this "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" ruling. (I was having too much fun saying "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" on air.) But I do have one thought. The core of the ruling appears to be the assertion that schools can limit a student's freedom to promote illegal behaviour at school-sanctioned events.

Leaving aside whether or not the banner actually "promoted" anything (kind of nonsensical to me) and whether the event was "school-sanctioned," were bong hits illegal in Alaska in 2002? I thought possession of marijuana in this state (up to 4 ounces then, since reduced) was de-criminalized. Perhaps our banner-holder was only encouraging people to engage in their constitutionally-guaranteed (in Alaska, at any rate) rights. What's wrong with that?

And one other note: is Beth Bragg (and me too) wrong when she wrote several months ago that giving the case all this publicity only made the Juneau School District look bad? Seems to me it's might lead to a good conversation on free speech and the rights of students, even if the decision is a little loopy.

2 comments:

Jim said...

Jesse, you may enjoy this alternative banner:
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/06/27/booze_and_pills_4_je.html

Jim said...

try this link