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friday, april 7, 1978 vol. 101 no. 95 lincoln, nebraska
Toxic herbicide on pot could pose serious danger
By Rod Murphy
Marijuana, which has been shown by
several public and private studies to be re
latively harmless, is becoming a potential
hazard to its users, according to recent evi
dence. The Mexican government, with financial
aid from the United States, has bee spray
ing marijuana fields with paraquat, a highly
toxic herbicide, in order to curb growth of
the weed.
The immediate and long-term effects of
smoking paraquat -tainted marijuana are
not yet clear. However, preliminary animal
tests by the National Institute on Drug
Abuse show that smoking the contamin
ated pot can cause permanent lung damage
known as fibrosis.
Paraquat, a nitrogen-based herbicide,
has been used by farmers since the early
1960s..
The National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws has been filing
suit, writing letters and lobbying legislators
hoping to end U.S. aid to Mexico's spray
ing operations.
On March 13, NORML filed suit in fed
eral court to halt U.S. involvement in the
4
spraying of paraquat on Mexican marijuana
fields.
Keith Stroup, National Director of
NORML, was quoted in the organization's
newsletter as saying "it appears the federal
government has taken a plant, which a
number of government reports and scienti
fic studies have acknowledged is a relative
ly innocuous plant, and given it the poten
tial of being the Iciller weed' which the
government propogandized against in the
1930s, 40s and 50s."
According to statistics released by
NORML, 20 percent of marijuana samples
seized at the border were contaminated
with the herbicide.
Paraquat -tainted pot, once harvested,
can not be detected unless samples are ana
lyzed by a research laboratory, according
to NORML.
NORML has urged any marijuana sus
pected of herbicide contamination be sent
anonymously to a firm in California to be
tested.
PharmChem Research Foundation,
1844 Bay Road, Palo Alto California, will
test samples for a $5 fee, according to
NORML' A five digit identification number
also should be enclosed to protect the iden
tity of the sender.
While the national organization is active
in the paraquat issue, local NORML chap
ters are less so, according to Mark Connett,
spokesman for UNL's NORML chapter.
"We don't contribute much to that ef
fort," he said.
The Lincoln chapter still is being
formed and no officers have yet been elect
ed, he said.
Connett said he has talked to legislators
about the problem and has attempted to
provide information on the subject.
ASUN's Government Liaison Committee
also has taken a stand on the issue.
In a vote taken Tuesday, April 4, GLC
officially took a stand against the federal
government's position onparaquat use in
Mexico, according to Bob Gleason, co
chairman. Even though the position now is offi
xially sanctioned by GLC, the actual vote
was "overwhelmed by non-voting mem
bers," Gleason said.
GLC members who oppose the govern
ment position will write congressmen and
people in the executive brach, he said.
Other GLC members felt that the or
ganization should not establish a posi
tion on the matter, he said.
Gleason said a good number of col
lege students could be affected by para
quat poisoning. However, the organization
had no evidence that marijuana smoked in
Nebraska has been contaminated by the
herbicide, he said.
According to a nation-wide survey by
the National Institute of Drug Abuse in
1976, 48 percent of all college students
have tried marijuana and 24 percent are
regular users.
Nine cars vandalized in university lots, no suspects
Nine cars parked in several UNL lots
were vandalized early Thursday morning
by what appeared to be a BB or pellet gun,
according to Sgt. Al Broadstone of Univer
sity Police.
Eight of the cars were discovered by
University Police in the Area 2 lot near
17th and R streets, and the ninth in the
Area 23 lot west of the Harper-Schramm-Smith
complex, Broadstone said.
Eight rear windows, a side window and
a CB antennae were broken he said.
Damages are estimated at $1,000. Own
ers of the cars were contacted by University
Police Thursday.
There are no suspects, Broadstone said,
but police believe the incidents occurred
sometime between 3 :30 and 6 a.m.
However, Broadstone said there "might
be a connection" with several tire-slashing
incidents near city campus last weekend.
Lt. Ron Bruder of the Lincoln Police
said eight cars parked on 19th Street be
tween Vine and R streets were found with
one or more tires slashed.
Broadstone added that three cars parked
in an Area 2 lot near 19th and S streets last
weekend also had their tires slashed.
Lincoln Police have no suspects, Brudei
said, but are working with the University
Police on all incidents.
Broadstone requested that anyone with
any information contact University Police.
Names will remain confidential, he said.
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Photo by Bob Pearson
This car was one of several vandalized Thursday morning in the area 2 parking lots east of the Cather-Pound residence halls.
Bill may increase some retirement checks
Vorld Series hopefuls they're not:
Columnists Jim Kay and Mike Mc
Carthy root for the underdogs. . . .
page 10
It's not the luck of the Irish: Great
Plains Symposium speaker des
cribes drinking problems among
ethnic groups page 2
Did Nebraska host the first rodeo?:
Reporter John Ortmann traces the
history of rodeo page 5
By Gail Stork
UNL professors, clerks, secretaries and
janitors who retired prior to 1961 may get
a raise in their 1920-based pension before
this legislative session is over, according to
State Sen. Jo Ann Maxey, from Lincoln,
who introduced the retirement bill.
She said the bill provides a retirement
check increase to any university employee
who retired before 1961, when the state
began to match university retirement
funds.
Maxey said the retirement benefits now
received by pre-1961 retirees are fixed at a
rate far below the cost of living. These
senior citizens still are paying high utility
bills and high food costs, but have not had
an increase in income since they retired,
she said.
One man currently receives $12 a
month, Maxey said, and would receive $24
if the bill passes.
An 80-year-old retiree's pension check
would go from $100 to $350 a month.
However, these examples are extremes, she
said.
Not all retirees' benefits will double,
Maxey said, but only those who were at
the bottom of the pay scale while employ
ed at UNL.
For example, a professor retiring at the
same time as a secretary would receive an
increase, but not as great a percentage as
the lower-paid secretary, Maxey said.
This "one-shot, one-time increase" will
affect 900 retirees, she said, including
those who retired after 1961 but worked at
UNL prior to the start of the new retire
ment program.
She said these retirees would receive an
increase according to how many years they
worked before 1961 and what their salary
was then.
Lee Chatfield, chairman of the legisla
tive committee on the Emeriti Association,
said some 70- to 85 -year-old retired pro
fessors receive only $80 to $100 a month
as pension.
The proposed bill primarily will benefit
these people, he said. However, he said, he
also would receive a slight increase, or
about $10 a month for the fourteen years
he worked before the cut-off date.
Maxey said the bill is fair because of the
high cost of living 70- to 85-year-old
retirees with small paychecks are fighting.
LB 198 is awaiting a final vote by the
Legislature before going to Gov. J . James
Exon for his signature.