Student's Pro Marijuana Speech Ends With A Joint and Arrest

When a student lit up a joint while presenting an essay on the legalization of marijuana he should have remembered that cannabis is not legal yet.

The student at Peninsula High School in Purdy, Washington lit up during the presentation on Tuesday. The police were called in even though the evidence was not visible. The student, 17, had eaten the blunt of the finished joint after he finished smoking it. The presentation took place during a monthly program called "Rhetoric Revels," a school program that celebrates work done by students in English classes. One student who was at the gathering said that the speech was well argued and moved other students.

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

There were 120 to 150 people that attended Tuesday's gathering in the school's assembly hall.

The News Tribune reports:

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

The student, an 11th grader with a 3.7 average was arrested on charges of possession or marijuana by Pierce County deputies. He was then given a ride to Remann Hall juvenile jail. He has been released.