Editor’s note: The Spectrum spoke to several students who requested to remain anonymous. All students were granted anonymity due to federal and campus marijuana policies.
UB has over 20,000 undergraduate students and is located in a state that legalized recreational marijuana in 2021, so it should come as no surprise that some UB students choose to experiment with the devil’s lettuce.
It’s legal to smoke weed almost anywhere in the state — but not on campus. Federal law still prohibits weed possession, usage and cultivation on college campuses (as UB has continuously reminded students).
Despite that, some students still try to find on-campus spots where they can satiate their cravings.
While some have had success, others have had less-than-favorable experiences.
“I got caught with weed paraphernalia in my dorm room once,” a sophomore nursing major said. “It was a really snowy day so [my friends and I] decided to smoke inside, but someone played their music too loud, and we got caught because of a noise complaint.”
After getting caught, he said he was required to attend a two-hour interactive PowerPoint course with other unfortunate smokers who were also found to be violating UB’s marijuana policies.
“They just educated [me] on how to safely navigate drugs and alcohol on campus and with yourself,” he said. “I thought it was an eye-opener, but if I continued to get caught, I’d probably face higher consequences.”
Looking back on his choice to smoke up in his dorm room, the student said it was “disrespectful” and that smoking indoors on campus is “not a good idea.”
A Creekside Village community assistant (CA) told The Spectrum that if they catch someone 21 or older with marijuana, they don’t confiscate it.
“We do tell them that if they’re gonna [smoke], do it off campus,” she said.
Underaged students don’t get that same lenient treatment.
“If they’re under 21, we’re supposed to confiscate it and bring it to UPD,” she said. “We have to write a report about it, and sooner or later, they’ll have a court meeting, then they have to take the class.”
She says she has yet to impose these consequences personally, but emphasized the severity of having such an infraction: “After the class, just don’t get caught again.”
Rodrigo Feijão is an assistant sports editor and can be reached at rodrigo.feijao@ubspectrum.com
