Last week, UCF’s Golden Rule Review Committee voted on a new policy that would equalize the consequences of marijuana and alcohol use among students. The Future has supported this cause with endorsements in our paper since 2008.

Despite the work of several student organizations lead by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, UCF has yet to change school policies.

Since the cause won the vote of the Golden Rule Review Committee, it can advance to administration for approval. The next step is to move the proposal to the desk of Dr. Maribeth Ehasz for approval at the end of this semester. We are hoping that the constant support of this cause will motivate Ehasz to get these changes into effect as soon as possible.

UCF students who have been charged with marijuana citations have been unfairly scolded in comparison to students who have been cited for alcohol abuse. The administration needs to see that this stops.

The debate over marijuana laws in the United States has been a heated debate. State laws in California and Colorado are adapting to the acceptance of marijuana, especially in medical cases. It is time for public universities to change, too.

Several independent studies have come to the same conclusion — alcohol has more severe effects than marijuana. It does not make sense that the use of a less harmful substance would result in worse consequences to one’s academic career.

We are not saying students should use marijuana, but the number of college students abusing alcohol is in the millions. Initiatives like the one that just passed through the Golden Rule Review Committee aren’t about showing support for marijuana, but instead implementing fair consequences based on the nature of the infractions.

UCF is the third largest public university in the nation, and its policies should be as progressive as its students. By implementing new rules UCF would be sending a message to other schools throughout the country that treating citations for similar drugs in different fashions is unfair. We say similar drugs because the new policies would not lessen the consequences of being caught with hard drugs — a distinction we fully support. Drugs like cocaine should not be under the same umbrella as marijuana and alcohol.

Your university would not be the first school with policies that equalize the consequences of alcohol and marijuana. Florida State University, University of Maryland, University of Texas-Austin, University of Washington, and George Washington University are just a few colleges that have successfully implemented policy changes.

It is time for the UCF administration to approve policies that their students and the Golden Rule Review Committee support.