Although Boston University is located in Massachusetts, a state where the possession and use of recreational marijuana is legal for adults over the age of 21, BU maintains its ban of marijuana on campus.
Despite the increasing number of U.S. states legalizing marijuana for recreational and medicinal purposes, the federal government maintains marijuana’s official status as an illegal substance and, as an institution that receives federal grants and loans, BU is bound by federal law.
BU Spokesperson Colin Riley said that marijuana is banned across the board at BU.
“Possession, distribution, cultivation, they’re all prohibited,” Riley said, “Since we receive federal funds, we’re bound to federal law and federal law prohibits possessing, use, or cultivation.”
These rules still apply to students who have medical marijuana cards, Riley said.
“We wouldn’t make any recommendation, we’d tell them what the rules are,” Riley said. “It has come up and students have figured out how to deal with it.”
Thirty-three states and Washington D.C. have legalized marijuana in some capacity, with Illinois being the most recent state to legalize recreational use of marijuana.
However, according to federal law it is still an illegal drug substance. While recreational and medical marijuana are legal in Boston, there are regulations and laws concerning just how and where marijuana is legal to use, Riley said.
“In the city of Boston it is illegal to smoke in buildings,” Riley said. “The university prohibits smoking in any student residents of any type, any public smoking, all ages.”
In Massachusetts, a person is legally allowed to possess one ounce of dried marijuana or five grams of a concentrated substance, with an additional ten ounces permitted in their home. A Massachusetts resident is also allowed to legally cultivate up to six marijuana plants, with an additional six permitted if there is more than one adult living in that residence.
BU students over the age of 21 and living off-campus are expected to comply with state laws off campus, Riley said, and cannot bring any marijuana on campus.
Peter Shin, BUPD crime analysis and statistics officer, said he thinks the policy is clear and concise.
“My understanding of the policy is that you’re actually not allowed to smoke marijuana in any of the buildings,” Shin said. “I mean, I think that pretty much says it all.”
Hayden Myers, a sophomore in the College of Engineering, said he thinks that BU’s ban on marijuana on campus is a good policy.
“I think that it’s, like, pretty reasonable,” Myers said. “Because we get federal funding we can’t obviously legally have marijuana on campus, but it’s also legal in Massachusetts so it’s pretty easy… If you are interested in that … be involved in it off-campus.”
Lola Kenet, a freshman in CAS, also said she disagrees with BU’s approach and thinks that BU should consider changing their policies surrounding marijuana usage and possession.
“I think it’s a little silly that we still go by the federal regulations on marijuana when its legal in the state,” Kenet said, “I understand why it isn’t okay to smoke it inside of the dorms, but I think it should be allowed to be smoked on campus, and I think it would just, like, encourage safer use because students wouldn’t have to go to such great lengths to go out somewhere it could be sketchier to smoke it.”
