By Rob Tokanel
While police departments in Boston and throughout Massachusetts are still hammering out specific guidelines to enforce the new law regarding marijuana possession passed Nov. 4, Northeastern officials maintain the university drug policy will not change.
Possession of up to an ounce of marijuana is no longer a criminal offense and will not be reported to the state’s criminal history board. Instead, it is punishable civilly by a fine of $100.
And while police policy in the state has changed from arrests to fines, Northeastern Assistant Director of Communications and Public Relations Renata Nyul said the implementation of the ballot initiative would have no effect on the school’s policy in dealing with marijuana possession.
“The policy is not going to change. The student Code of Conduct still applies as it has before,” she said.
Under the current provisions of the code, students found violating the drug policy face deferred suspension and a fine of $200 for a first offense, as well as required attendance at a drug education program. For a second offense, students receive mandatory drug counseling, suspension and a permanent notation on their transcripts.
In November, Associate Director of the Northeastern University Division of Public Safety Jim Ferrier said to The News that NUPD rarely arrested students in possession of marijuana, electing to dispose of the drug and report the student to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR).
Whether or not students will now face the new police fines as well as being reported to OSCCR remains to be seen.
Middler criminal justice major Herberto Da Silva said he could understand why the Northeastern police might be issuing fines now, but that getting fined by the school as well seemed to make the new law worse for students who may previously have only been reported to OSCCR.
“If the Northeastern police are real police, I guess they have to follow the state law,” he said. “So maybe that’s fine, but it doesn’t make sense that you can get in more trouble or get fined more now than before.”
Middler economics major Dan Abunaw said he does not think it’s fair for OSCCR to maintain their policies after the passage of the decriminalization bill.
“I think it’s wrong that OSCCR won’t change their rules, because the government is an obviously higher court than OSCCR,” he said. “I don’t know how OSCCR can try to pull their weight over what the law says, regardless of if Northeastern is a private institution.”
The state’s Executive Office of Public Safety and Security released seven pages of guidelines to state and local police departments on how to enforce the new law Dec. 29.
Police officers will issue tickets to those possessing less than an ounce of marijuana, similar to a parking ticket, and violators will have a chance to appeal the tickets in court within 21 days. Those younger than 18 will have to complete a drug awareness program and community service. Failure to do so will increase the fine to as much as $1,000. Municipalities will be responsible for collecting the fines, which will be allocated toward the community’s general funds, according to the recommendations.
According to Boston Police Department (BPD) spokesperson James Kenneally, the BPD is still working on the specifics of how the new policies will be enforced.
“As of Jan. 2, [Question 2] has required our department to clearly change the way we do business with marijuana possession,” he said. New guidelines and procedures regarding the treatment of the policy are in the process of being implemented.”
