Many college students are quickly signing on to Thefacebook.com trend, including joining some controversial Thefacebook.com groups that suggest illegal drug use that might add strikes to their record if they ever wind up in court.
One such group, Drugs + Me=Fun
has 103 members. A description of the online group states, If you enjoy drugs and they enjoy you you're in the right place. The page also lists Web sites such as the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Other Web sites listed include
www.FlexYourRights.org, which lists information about staying out of trouble and dealing with any situation with the police
and
www.OverGrow.com, where anyone can check out this worldwide growing community with plenty of pics.
Another group is Marijuana Lovers of Ohio
which currently has 59 members. The group description states that the club is for those who enjoy the occasional or regular use of America's greatest substance. The group has a list of officers, which includes positions such as Bong Master, Water Changer, Slide Cleaner, Joint Roller and Sir Smokes-a-Lot.
Whether or not this information could be used against group members if they ever go to court is unclear, said Pat McGee, managing attorney for the Center for Student Legal Services.
The laws about what is admissible in court are complex; however
a judge would have to make the final decision
McGee said.
Such information might come up if a student was charged with the possession or trafficking of drugs and tried to deny ever doing drugs, McGee said. To explain that information could be used if it was found to be relevant, he compared membership in the group to the idea of a person telling someone he was going to kill his wife and then the wife turning up missing.
Lisa Eliason, Athens city prosecutor, said the information couldn't be used as evidence in a trial, but if a person is convicted, the information could be used in sentencing. She said if someone tried to claim it was a first-time offense, she might point to their membership in such a group and suggest a harsher sentence.
Several students, who did not want their names to be used, said they joined the groups for fun but weren't really involved. The students said they saw it as something random and didn't really give much thought to possible consequences.
Christa Rice, who is listed on Thefacebook.com group Marijuana Lovers of Ohio as the Slide Cleaner officer said that her and some friends started the group over winter break for fun.
We were just messing around. It's a big joke
said Rice.
She said she is not worried about any negative consequences. They can't prove anything; that's silly. It's not a real thing
she said.
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