News Editor
For many Californians, the passing of Proposition 64 will make it legal to purchase marijuana for recreational purposes. However, for CSUB students not much will change.
Director of Development of University Advancement Victor Martin said that the passing of Proposition 64 will not alter campus rules.
“It basically doesn’t impact current campus policies governing the area. It’s still illegal to use marijuana, either consumed or [smoking it] in public areas on campus that’s governed by other federal and state laws, so it doesn’t really change in that sense,” said Martin.
The Drug-Free Schools and Communities act requires “an institution of higher education to certify it has adopted and implemented a program to prevent the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students and employees.”
As noted, drugs are defined under federal law to include marijuana.
Because CSUB is a state institution, failure to meet regulations on colleges campuses may forfeit a campuses eligibility for federal financial aid, funding and contracts. As a state institution, the Drug-Free Schools and Communities act require all college campuses to be a drug-free campus.
Zoat Sandoval, a 19-year-old nursing major, thinks that smoking marijuana would affect a student’s school and daily life.
“It could also affect our campus in a negative way because we do have people that smoke and letting them do it freely is bad,” Sandoval said. “They should smoke it off campus, wherever they have their own private area where the smell can’t spread and not in public places.”
Martin says that the University Police Department will cite and fine individuals for holding possession of marijuana on campus.
“On campus and in on-campus housing, UPD can cite individuals for the following which are unlawful under current state law, so that would encompass smoking, consumption, cultivation or possession for the sale of marijuana at any age,” said Martin. “It also includes possession for anyone under 21 years of age.”
Smoking or ingesting marijuana on campus remains illegal, especially to recreational and medicinal users.
“Smoking or consuming marijuana in a public place is still illegal and that fine is $100 but if you smoke marijuana where tobacco is also prohibited, that is a $250 fine,” said Martin.
Unlike CSUB, other college campuses like CSU Fullerton, UCLA and San Diego State are non-smoking campuses.
Martin says that CSUB is in progress to move toward non-smoking, although it is still permitted in designated smoking areas on campus.
Lorence Prieto, 20-year-old engineering major thinks that Proposition 64 doesn’t change anything for marijuana users in general.
“I don’t believe anything would change as people already use it for recreational purposes whether it’s legal or not. The people who smoke it will keep smoking it and the people who don’t, they’re probably not going to keep smoking it,” said Prieto.
“Since Proposition 64 doesn’t change rules or regulations on campus, there shouldn’t be anything different in terms of enforcement except that if students or others do things that are currently illegal under state or federal law, they would be cited accordingly as they would have 64 passed,” Martin said.
Individuals who don’t have medical marijuana prescription cards will not be able to purchase marijuana until January 1, 2018 though laws changed for recreational purposes on Nov. 9, 2016.
