With the recent legalization of the medical and recreational use of Marijuana, ENC will continue to prohibit the use of Marijuana. Although the state of Massachusetts has voted in favor for the legalization of Marijuana for recreational uses, Jeff Kirksey has made it clear that this is not something ENC will permit.
“This is a conversation we’ve had and we have been following the protocol of many other colleges in the area, and as far as I know, many colleges and universities have decided against it,” Kirksey says.
Many schools in the state of Massachusetts get federal funding and must comply with federal law, and according to federal law, Marijuana is still considered illegal. Since ENC is a private institution, they have the ability to make choices on the campus’s behalf to ensure that the community is safe, including the choice to continue to forbid the use of substances like alcohol and marijuana even if it is considered legal.
Although Marijuana can be used for medical use, this will continue to be something that is not allowed on campus. On campus, the nurse is not allowed to regulate medicines, and since most students are either over the age of eighteen, have permission from their parents, or have a prescription for the use of medicinal marijuana, it cannot be regulated by the campus nurse as a prescribed medicine. Because of this regulation, ENC will continue to prohibit the use of marijuana as a recreational substance as well as a medical one.