The majority of Massachusetts residents may have voted to decriminalize marijuana in November, but Boston University administrators plan to continue the university’s zero-tolerance marijuana policy, BU officials said.
Students caught carrying an ounce or less of marijuana may be charged with only a civil infraction ‘-‘- the equivalent of a parking ticket ‘-‘- anywhere else in Massachusetts, but BU administrators plan on punishing students caught ‘dealing in narcotics or illegal drugs anywhere on campus’ by evicting them from housing and taking ‘further disciplinary action’ that could involve the loss of financial aid, according to BU’s Safety On Campus website.
‘It’s important to note that the changes in the state law do not affect the policy at Boston University,’ BU spokesman Colin Riley said. ‘We certainly will monitor what transpires but . . . marijuana is still illegal and prohibited.’
BU LAW professor David Breen, who said he strongly opposed Question 2 from the beginning, worried that the decriminalization law may negatively impact students’ understanding of marijuana’s legal status in the Bay State.
‘There is probably a misunderstanding by students that marijuana is suddenly legal in Massachusetts,’ Breen said.
BU criminal justice professor Thomas Nolan, who appeared in advertising and speaking engagements in support of Question 2 leading up to the election, said BU has no mandate to change its policy, but should be willing to reassess it.
‘The university is a private institution free to set its own policies with regard to student behavior,’ Nolan said. ‘[But] I certainly think it would be prudent for them to at least examine it and revisit it.’
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