Some Canadian Universities Will Allow Cannabis on Campus

By JR
Last updated on

College is where some people experience a whole new world where they do things they haven’t done before. Freshmen would have their first taste of partying, probably joining organizations like fraternities and sororities, and perhaps their first time trying out cannabis.

College is as an avenue for growth and development but this could also be the place for exploration and finding one’s identity. These are moments that could change someone’s life as it allows the person to take a peek at what is really happening in reality.

In the case of cannabis consumption, it is not far-fetched that most people have tried it in college and there is sufficient evidence to prove this based on other related research. One can also say that it has been part of college students’ practices at parties or other social events even when it was still illegal.

Meanwhile, Canada now is facing a very crucial time since it decided to finally legalize the adult use of cannabis. Educational institutions are now pressured to take a position on this issue especially when it comes to the authorization of students to smoke weed on campus.

Once the legalization of cannabis in Canada takes effect in October, students may then be allowed to use cannabis on campus.

Ottawa, the capital of Canada has approved the legalization of the recreational use of cannabis last June. Through this, North American universities have been quick to update their new cannabis policies on campus grounds.

Although not everyone is on the boat on campus authorization for cannabis use and some universities still continue to stand by their existing strict policies, other universities have expressed their willingness to be flexible with their policies so long as there are some limitations and guidelines for its regulation.

In the case of the University of Guelph in Ontario, the school’s vice president, Don O’Leary expressed his stance on CTV News last Monday that the campus will maintain its policy of being smoke-free.

However, the same as with alcohol, students are allowed to consume edible marijuana so long as it is on private premises with reasonable restrictions. Queen’s University agrees with this and said that it would most likely follow the footsteps of the University of Guelph.

In line with this, associate vice president of the University of New Brunswick, Saint John Campus, Laurelle LeVert reiterated to The Toronto Star, that their students who are of legal age, which is 19 and older, are allowed to use “legal non-smoked forms” in private places.

LeVert said in an interview that the point of the legislation is not the restriction of those who can normally access the drug. Instead, it is for mere regulation. She said that their university does permit their students and residents from consuming the drug in private as long as they are 19 or older.

When asked about her opinion with regards to universities’ reaction to the emergence of a new policy regarding pot, she said that the universities have yet to find their way as to where to position themselves in this setting. She said, “we were all sort of flying blind a little bit. I think all universities have been.”

Along with the legalization of recreational cannabis, governmental regulations will be less strict in the provinces of British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Alberta.

Some universities aim to follow the government’s scheme by considering the regulation of cannabis use. According to the report from Forbes, there is a proposed designated smoking area similar to how tobacco smoking is accommodated at the university.

Other universities maintained their positions in being strict and maintaining the full ban on cannabis on campus, despite its legalization.

An example would be the case of McGill University in Quebec. The university released guidelines earlier this month that said, “consuming cannabis on campus could lead to a disciplinary process.”

This rule specifically included edibles, topical, drinkables, and other kinds of marijuana products in their banned list based on the policy statement.

This is not surprising at all since, in Quebec, there is a province-wide move by the government to ban smoking and vaping marijuana in places near “a post-secondary educational institution,” based on CTV News.

As of 2015, Canadians have been famous for a lot of variety of marijuana products such as hash and hash oil. These are the products that have been frequently used in Canada according to the data compilation by Health Canada.

Also according to the data, around one-third of Canadians, aging from 20 – 24 have admitted trying cannabis at least once in their lives.

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