By: Caitlyn Freeman, Editor in Chief
Whereas many Towson College college students say they help the state’s forthcoming leisure marijuana legalization, college officers say the campus will stay smoke-free and it’s too early to make choices on non-smoking consumption.
Sixty-seven % of Marylanders voted on Nov. 8 to undertake an modification to the state’s structure that will allow the state legislature to go legal guidelines permitting the use, distribution and regulation of marijuana for Marylanders 21 and older starting July 1, 2023. Marylanders can be allowed to own 1.5 ounces of marijuana starting July 1, the Washington Post reports.
Presently, possession of fewer than 10 grams of marijuana is taken into account a civil offense with no incarceration threat and a most wonderful of $100, in keeping with The NORML Foundation.
The legalization brings forth dialog about the way forward for marijuana rules on U.S. school campuses.
The way forward for weed at TU?
Vice President of Pupil Affairs Vernon Hurte stated the College had not made any main choices relating to marijuana but. Nevertheless, TU will proceed to stay smoke-free whatever the legalization.
He stated the College would focus its efforts on educating college students about marijuana consumption.
“I do suppose that with this laws, if every thing, type of goes via the legislature, [education is] going to be a spot the place you’ll see increasingly more type of work from Pupil Affairs particularly round, simply ensuring college students are educated across the potential well being points and issues like that.”
By way of non-smoking consumption of marijuana, reminiscent of edibles or tablets, a college spokesperson stated the state remains to be within the early levels of legalization, so no determination has been made.
Alternatively, within the wake of the vote, the College of Maryland, School Park, informed college students marijuana will nonetheless be prohibited on campus, The Diamondback reported.
Kris Furnish, the co-founder of the Maryland Marijuana Justice, a hashish legalization advocacy group, stated it’s hypocritical for Towson to permit alcohol consumption on campus for these over 21 however prohibit hashish use.
At Towson, alcohol consumption and possession are prohibited for college kids underneath 21. These 21 and over who reside in on-campus housing could possess one 12-pack of beer or one bottle of wine or one quart of liquor. The potential of treating on-campus marijuana utilization as alcohol consumption has but to be selected, the college spokesman stated
“It’s type of like a double normal, like in the event that they’re regulating having alcohol on campus, why can’t we regulate having [marijuana] on campus,” Furnish requested.
Towson College’s present insurance policies
Presently, Towson prohibits the possession and use of marijuana and different unlawful substances on campus, in keeping with the Pupil Code of Conduct. College students violating this coverage could also be penalized, together with arrest and prosecution.
“College students are topic to self-discipline in the event that they commit Managed Harmful Substance Violations underneath the Pupil Code of Conduct,” the coverage reads. “Numerous penalties could also be imposed relying on the violations.”
In the course of the 2021-22 tutorial yr, there have been 44 incidents of violation of the College’s illicit drug coverage, in keeping with the College’s Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs Prevention Center.
The federal authorities categorizes hashish as a Schedule I drug. Different Schedule I medicine embrace Heroin, LSD and ecstasy. Consequently, public establishments, like Towson, should prohibit marijuana use as they need to prohibit illicit medicine, in keeping with the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery.
What college students are saying concerning the modification
The Towerlight surveyed 15 present Towson college students to listen to their ideas on the vote to legalize leisure marijuana use in Maryland and what it might imply for Towson. The Towerlight will not be figuring out the respondents to make sure privateness.
Eleven out of 15 college students stated they voted in favor of the legalization, whereas 4 stated they didn’t vote within the election in any respect. All respondents stated they’re registered voters throughout the state.
Fourteen out of 15 respondents stated they have been happy with the election outcomes, whereas one stated they have been involved concerning the affect it may need on the neighborhood.
“I really feel fearful as a result of some individuals already use it for medicinal functions, however now everybody goes to make use of it,” the respondent, who didn’t vote within the election, wrote. “I fear about what the neighborhood will start to seem like since I don’t need to stroll down the road and should go by a bunch of individuals lighting up.”
Additional, regardless of the college’s present rules, 11 out of 15 respondents suppose Towson’s coverage on marijuana utilization could change because of the vote to legalize. A respondent who voted for the modification stated they felt relieved by the choice.
“Weed is a peaceable drug that [has] develop into a instrument for incarceration from the struggle on medicine,” the respondent wrote. “We’re previous that now. Let individuals smoke their pot.”
4 out of 15 respondents cited the discount of marijuana-based incarcerations as their reasoning for supporting the modification.
In 2020, 1,072 individuals have been arrested for marijuana possession statewide, in keeping with information from the 2021 FBI Uniform Crime Report introduced by the Maryland Department of Legislative Services. Of the 1,072 arrests, 59% of these arrested have been Black.
“By legalizing marijuana, it can hopefully cut back the charges of non-violent arrests of [Black] males,” one respondent wrote.
Echoing Furnish, one other respondent who voted to go the modification stated limiting using marijuana on campus might result in different penalties.
“If individuals can drink [on campus], they need to have the ability to smoke on campus,” the respondent wrote. “In the event that they gained’t allow you to smoke exterior, persons are simply going to cover it by smoking of their dorms [or] of their automobiles which might result in driving underneath the affect, which wouldn’t make a lot sense.”
Many respondents stated marijuana consumption on campus would proceed whatever the college’s insurance policies.
“I don’t suppose it issues, individuals will do what they need,” one respondent wrote.
