How Minnesota's weed legalization will play out on college campuses
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Minnesota college students hoping to take advantage of the state's new law legalizing marijuana will have to do it off campus.
Driving the news: Though recreational marijuana will be legal in Minnesota by the time the 2023 academic year begins, many local colleges are updating or establishing policies to ban its possession or use on campus property, Axios found.
- Students who live in off-campus apartments can consume cannabis products, but state law still prohibits smoking and vaping marijuana in multifamily buildings.
Context: Under the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (DFSCA), colleges and universities that receive federal funding are required to establish policies that clearly prohibit "the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of alcohol and illicit drugs."
- Leili Fatehi, a lawyer and policy expert who has led efforts for marijuana legalization in Minnesota, says many schools will likely play it "better safe than sorry" and ban weed entirely.
What they're doing: Macalester College and the University of Minnesota cited the DFSCA in their decision to continue to ban THC products. Hamline University and Minnesota State University, Mankato are still reviewing the state's law before announcing policies, they told Axios.
Between the lines: Federal laws don't necessarily have to come into play at all, as universities can on their own establish or update student codes of conduct to ban drug or alcohol use and possession on campus.
- Plus: Smoking or vaping in school buildings was already illegal under the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act, and several colleges including the U and St. Catherine University have gone completely smoke-free.
Plus: A large number of students aren't 21 — the legal age to buy or consume cannabis — so the state legalization would not apply to them, a spokesperson for MSU-Mankato said.
Reality check: It's no secret that drinking and drug use still occur on campus, despite age and legal restrictions, and enforcement can vary widely among universities.
- A University of Minnesota spokesperson said decisions to contact law enforcement are on a case-by-case basis until the law goes into effect.
The intrigue: Colleges in states where weed is already legal, like Colorado and Washington, saw an increase in applications following marijuana legalization, according to a 2022 study.