Official: Letting Cyclone Logo on Iowa State Pro-Marijuana Student Group T-Shirts a 'Blip'

Last month, Iowa State University officials had to back pedal after a student group that supports legalization of marijuana was photographed in the Des Moines Register donning a t-shirt with the Cyclone logo.

The university initially approved the use of the trademark Cy on the ISU NORML shirt, but later banned it after getting negative feedback. NORML is a national pro-marijuana law reform organization with chapters around the country.

In an interview with the Ames Tribune, Tom Hill, ISU’s vice president of student affairs, said while the school doesn't want to have its logo appearing to endorse a political position, he does not consider it an "oops moment."

"This is a learning experience for the staff, but I hope we don’t get paranoid," Hill said. "Things happen. This is one incident in thousands. On balance, the trademark and licensing folks do an outstanding job. This is one blip, and I hope we don’t panic and start tightening up and stop letting students explore stuff. That’s not good."

He also said the school supports the student group, while not necessarily supporting their position.

Talk of marijuana law reform has reignited with the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Washington and Colorado. Iowa lawmakers are looking at two new marijuana laws, including one to legalize medical marijuana and one to legalize recreational marijuana.

Read more:

Readers Sound Off on Medical Marijuana in Iowa