During the SGA elections, students will have the opportunity to cast their vote in support of an important change to the university’s Code of Conduct. On the ballot, question 1 will ask students if they support equalizing the penalties between marijuana possession and underage alcohol possession on campus.
Under the school’s current drug policy, marijuana is a more severe Level II violation, and alcohol possession by minors is a lower Level III violation. If a student receives a second marijuana possession violation, the student is suspended from the university, even though underage students must accrue three alcohol possession violations in order to be suspended. Under the proposed referendum, the same three-strike policy would be applied to possession of small amounts of marijuana on campus.
Recognizing the unfairness of a policy that treats marijuana possession the same as the possession of heroin and other more dangerous substances, the Northeastern chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) successfully collected over 750 signatures to place the question on this Sspring’s SGA ballot. As a student organization dedicated to reforming drug laws in our nation, state, local government and campus, SSDP decided that this unjust policy should be revised to more accurately reflect the scientific and health-related facts regarding marijuana as well as the opinion and perspective of the student body as to which substances should be punished more harshly than others.
SSDP also looked at our state’s treatment of marijuana possession and how other college campuses differentiate between the punishment of underage drinking and marijuana possession. Massachusetts decriminalized marijuana in 2008 after passing “Question 2,” which reduced the penalty for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana to a civil infraction and a fine of $100. After Connecticut recently decriminalized marijuana possession, the University of Connecticut equalized the penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana and underage possession of alcohol on their campus in January 2012. Even though Massachusetts has decriminalized the personal possession of one ounce of marijuana or less, our school is sending a different message to students. The current drug policy endangers a student’s education over an infraction that would amount to a minor fine according to state law.
Northeastern’s chapter of SSDP encourages students to vote in support of question 1 in order to change this unfair policy. Students can vote from March 26 to April 1 for the Student Body President and the Executive Vice President in addition to rejecting or accepting a number of referenda, including SSDP’s proposal to lower the penalty for marijuana possession so that it equals the penalty for underage drinking on campus. The full petition language is available at: http://www.neu.edu/ssdp/petition/. Students can contact SSDP at [email protected] or find us on Facebook at http://neu.edu/ssdp if they have questions about the initiative or want to get involved.
– Julie Roberts is a senior in the School of Law, and executive board member of Northeastern University – Students for Sensible Drug Policy
