Central State University may want to build a medical marijuana testing facility on campus, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that students will be able to smoke medical marijuana in the classroom.
The state issued a provisional license to Central State University to set up a medical marijuana testing lab on campus last summer. The Dayton Daily News reported in August that the university would like to build the Institute of Medical Marijuana next to the police station, in the space formerly occupied by the The Grill.
The News also reported that the facility will require heavy security including four new campus police officers and an armored truck to transport the marijuana. The Institute’s mission will be to conduct research on plants, specifically cannabis, to “maximize scientific, medical and societal benefits while minimizing harm to individual users and humanity,” according to the filing with the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program.
Many students are wondering whether they will be allowed to use marijuana on campus if they have a medical need. Recreational marijuana use is illegal in Ohio, though medical marijuana is legal. Central State Police Chief Stephanie Hill said that the university hasn’t yet established a policy regarding the use of medical marijuana on campus. However, she said that students “smoking in dorms, classes, and buildings will still be prohibited to protect those who don't indulge.”
Communications Professor Mike Gormley said that he hopes that the university will not allow smoking in classrooms or on campus, regardless of a student’s medical needs. “Students with a defined medical need will have to medicate themselves elsewhere,” he said. “Marijuana in the classroom is too distracting. And it bothers more students than you might think.”
Marijuana is considered an illicit drug on campus. If a student is in possession of marijuana, police can give the student a citation, make an arrest, or just let the person go with a warning.
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