CHAPEL HILL, NC – Medical marijuana has been a point of contention in North Carolina for years. Now the use of the drug could be legalized for medicinal reasons.
The Compassionate Care Act, which would legalize medical marijuana in North Carolina, was passed by the state’s Senate in March. Now the bill sits in the House, where a similar bill died last year.
The bill would allow those with certain conditions – cancer, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder, and several others – to legally use marijuana with a prescription.
But if medical marijuana were to be legalized in the state, what would that mean for college students? The short answer is that not much would change for on campus students. Based on colleges in states where medicinal and/or recreational use is legal, marijuana is still not allowed on campus.
At Northern Michigan University, Chief Marketing Officer Derek Hall says marijuana use on campus is still prohibited. “It’s prohibited because of the Federal guidelines related to cannabis. As an institution that receives Federal funding, we follow all the laws related to cannabis that the Federal Government has,” Hall says.
Hall says that those who violate the university’s policies could face consequences from the university, and campus and local law enforcement.
We reached out to UNC leaders to see how they would approach the law should it pass but they declined to comment.
While the bill is currently in the House, it could be years before medical marijuana is legalized in North Carolina.