Studentâ??s marijuana speech ends with a trip to jail

Studentâ??s marijuana speech ends with flourish â?? and trip to jail
Education: 17-year-old lights joint to make point

STACEY MULICK; The News Tribune
Published: 06/03/09 6:08 am

The teachers wanted persuasive.

And they got it.

At the end of his speech Tuesday urging legalization of marijuana, a 17-year-old Peninsula High School student pulled out a joint, lit it and smoked away. Then he ate the remains.

For that he got a quick escort to the school office and then a ride to Remann Hall juvenile jail.

The stunt was celebrated among some of the teenâ??s peers but was frowned on to say the least by law enforcement officers and district administrators.

â??We believe in freedom of speech and encourage it, but illegal activities are absolutely not going to be tolerated in our district,â?� schools Superintendent Terry Bouck said.

Pierce County sheriffâ??s spokesman Ed Troyer said, â??If people want that law changed, they need to go about it the right way.â?�

He did admit, though, that the studentâ??s action will prompt discussion.

â??It sure will probably bring a lot of attention to the issue,â?� Troyer said.

The boy, whom The News Tribune is not identifying because heâ??s not been charged with a crime, was arrested on suspicion of unlawful drug possession, a misdemeanor.

He later was released and The News Tribune was unable to reach him.

Deputies will forward their reports to prosecutors, who will decide whether to file charges.

Bouck declined to say what disciplinary action was taken against the student but reiterated that illegal activity is not tolerated at a school.

The trouble started when the student â?? who has a 3.7 grade point average â?? presented his essay Tuesday morning during a monthly gathering called â??Rhetoric Revels,â?� which celebrates student work in English classes.

â??Itâ??s really a vehicle for showcasing studentsâ?? work,â?� Bouck said.

The students present their assignments in class first, then turn them in for grading. A selection of the assignments is chosen for presentation during the monthly gatherings.

The English department has had this tradition for the past 10 years with no problem.

That is until Tuesday.

Three 11th grade English classes were gathered for this monthâ??s readings. The students had written their persuasive speeches a couple of weeks ago and turned them in without endings.

The students selected to present Tuesday were to read the conclusions to their speeches. They spoke in the schools large assembly hall before an audience estimated at 120 to 150 people.

The 17-year-old boy made his case for the legalization of marijuana and then went for a big finish.

â??At the end of his speech, he pulled out a marijuana joint, lit it and began to smoke it,â?� Bouck said.

Officials brought the student to the office, â??where appropriate action was taken,â?� Bouck said, declining to elaborate. Then it was off to juvie jail.

One student present for the teenâ??s speech said it was eloquent, well argued and sincerely moved many students.

â??The student was making a statement towards (what he felt as) the arbitrary taboo our society places on marijuana use,â?� the 17-year-old junior stated in a comment on The News Tribuneâ??s Web site. â??He took action in what he believes. â?¦ I do not condone the action, but I commend the passion.â?�

Stacey Mulick: 253-597-8268

[email protected]

Ain't it a crying shame that adults don't have balls as large as this kid and fire one up in the House of Congress! Hat's off to the lad!! :thumbsup:

I am so proud...I really feel we're beginning to win the fight, for the hearts and minds of the people, at any rate. The governing bodies will always be against us, but we're slowly winning over the populace.

i'll agree the kids got nuts.
you have to respect him for it.

Hahaha, that's dope.

I'm smoking this bowl to that kid.

That's awesome.

I love it. Nothing better in this country than sticking up for your 1st amendment rights.:thumbsup:
Maybe its the start of the 60's all over again.lol

good for the kid but he goes to juvi while if we did that a little more consequences would happen Now if 100 Terminal patient did it, it would have a resounding effect. IMHO

but im a sissy with my butt virginity and its going to stay like that jail is one thing but Prison is another.

good thing he wasn't akeing a case for porn eh!

He should try to get all the kids he can to light up on the front steps of the school.lol

Teen accepts penalty for marijuana speech

expelled: 17-year-old lit joint as class project

BRENT CHAMPACO; The News Tribune
Published: 06/06/09 12:05 am

Ian Barry says he wasnâ??t trying to be a martyr when he lit a marijuana joint this week at Peninsula High School in Gig Harbor, nor was he trying to pull a stunt.

Simply put, the 17-year-old junior wanted to drive home the message of his persuasive essay: Marijuana doesnâ??t deserve its negative stigma and should be legalized.

On Friday, Barry told The News Tribune that he knew what the consequences would be for his bold tactics, but he was willing to accept them.

After his speech Tuesday, he was arrested and sent to Remann Hall juvenile detention center in Tacoma. He was ousted from school on an emergency expulsion.

He says he fully accepts his punishment. He faces misdemeanor charges of unlawful drug possession after police found the container that he carried the joint in and that contained marijuana residue. He also understands this will go on his record.

â??I see myself as someone who holds himself to a high moral value,â?� Barry said via cell phone. â??I stand up for what I believe in.â?�

News of his speech and arrest spread quickly, as local and national media outlets picked up his story.

But more importantly, he said, his story has created a dialogue about whether marijuana should be legalized.

â??As Sir Isaac Newton said, â??Every action has an equal and opposite reaction,â?? â?� Barry said. â??I donâ??t think there would have been another way I could have gotten this reaction.â?�

Here is Barryâ??s account of what happened:

About a month ago, he and the rest of the students in Peninsulaâ??s Rhetoric Revels group were asked to produce a persuasive speech. The group meets monthly to celebrate student work in English classes.

He said a classmate suggested that he present a speech on legalizing marijuana. He said he has smoked pot since he was 12, and the topic made sense because it was something in which he believed.

Barry, who has a 3.7 grade-point average, stressed that he took the assignment seriously. In fact, what was supposed to be a two-page paper turned into 15 pages.

But to prove his point and get the attention of all students, Barry decided to take the now-famous puffs.

On Tuesday, about 150 students gathered in Peninsula Highâ??s auditorium. They had heard about his plans and wanted to see it for themselves.

When it was his turn to speak, Barry said he walked on stage and read the first seven pages.

Then, before he turned to the eighth page, he pulled out the joint that was hidden in his dreadlocks. He said he lit up, took a toke, then read the rest of his speech, occasionally stopping to take a puff.

â??There was a huge cheer when I lit up,â?� he recalled.

Among the topics covered in his speech: marijuanaâ??s medicinal benefits and its undeserved reputation of being harmful. It lasted about 12 minutes.

When he was done, Barry walked backstage, took a few more hits, then ate the little bit that remained of the joint.

One of his friends went to check on him backstage, then the two sat back down in the audience. A school administrator walked to Barry, escorted him out and eventually to the principalâ??s office.

Barry said a police officer showed up, put him in handcuffs and drove him to Remann Hall.

He was booked, fingerprinted and photographed before being released to his father about an hour later.

In the days since his speech, heâ??s been both defended and condemned in dozens of online comments on the story on The News Tribuneâ??s Web site.

Barry said heâ??s been encouraged by some of the comments, but itâ??s fine if people disagree with his stance. He just hopes people realize that he was simply trying to get his message across and wasnâ??t afraid of his punishment.

His future is in flux. He will meet with Peninsula administrators to determine whether he should be allowed to finish classes.

Heâ??s also looking beyond high school at college. Barry is considering a career in English or politics.

He said heâ??s going to take the SAT test today. His first college of choice: â??California, probably Humboldtâ?� State University, he said.

Brent Champaco: 253-597-8653

[email protected]

I wonder what his parents say about this.

Personally, I think this is negative for the cannabis movement. For one, he's a minor. Two, he's doing it in school. I think it speaks more to the stereotype of negative judgment of cannabis users than it does to cast cannabis in a positive light.