Weed May Be Legal In Missouri But You Still Can’t Smoke Up On Campus
Marijuana use becomes legal for those 21 and older in Missouri on Thursday, December 8, 2022. That said, the time-honored tradition of trying to get high in your dorm room and not get caught by the resident assistant isn't changing at all.
I'm not sure if college students even try to get away with smoking anything in the dorms anymore since entire buildings and even campuses are smoke-free or tobacco-free these days. Seems like it might make it a little harder to hide the pungent smell of weed with all that fresh air floating around University buildings these days.
Of course, the days of one-hitters, bongs, and joints, while not necessarily gone aren't as prevalent these days with weed and CBD vapes, gummies, oils, and edibles. So catching your buzz these days might look a little different on a college campus.
I'm not advocating that you get high on campus either. I personally waited until I got my own off-campus apartment before I had people over to get high. Even then, I always felt like at any minute Chicago Police was going to knock at my door and bust me which bothered me more than the buzz I'd catch, so that was a pretty big disincentive to me.
Now, alcohol was a different story. From literally the first day on campus until I turned 21 we were always trying to find ways to get it and once we had it, find creative places to hide it until we could drink it. After all, we didn't want to get busted if the resident assistant decided to poke his head in our room to see what we were watching on TV, or if the university decided to do a dorm room inspection.
So why can't you use marijuana on Missouri college campuses? Because even though in many states, including Missouri after tomorrow, it's legal. It's still illegal according to federal law. The University of Missouri System outlines it perfectly in a news release.
"Following a review of the federal Drug-Free Schools and Community Act and Drug-Free Workplace Act, the University of Missouri System will continue to prohibit the possession, use and distribution of marijuana on any university property, university-leased property and as part of university-sponsored or university-supervised activities."
Their release goes on to say that The Drug-Free Schools and Community Act requires schools have policies that discipline students and employees for possessing or using illegal drugs. Marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance and is illegal according to the federal government.
I expect the policy at most Missouri universities will remain the same. Last I checked the University of Central Missouri hadn't specifically addressed the change in Missouri law like Mizzou, but their policy is pretty clear. "Federal, state and local statutes prohibit or limit the use, possession, or sale of drugs as defined herein. The university expects students, employees, and campus organizations to abide by all applicable laws."
So on college campuses, trying to catch a buzz won't change very much. At least not until federal law catches up with what most states are permitting. Even then I'm not sure you'll ever be allowed to get high on campus.