On Nov. 6 Michiganders voted on three controversial proposals. However, Proposal 1 has had more of an impact on Michigan Tech Huskies than the other two proposals. With the passing of Proposal 1, many believed that the legalization of marijuana was immediate. However, the new law won’t go into effect until at least Dec. 6.
According to an email sent by Bonnie Gorman, “even after marijuana is officially legalized in the state, it will still be prohibited on campus”. This is due to Michigan Tech receiving funds from the government which requires a drug-free environment.
A professor in the School of Technology shared their thoughts on the passing of Proposal 1 as well. They believe that Michigan has a foundation for controlling the use and sale of marijuana, which other states that had passed marijuana did not have. They hope that with the passing of Proposal 1, there will be an increase in tax revenue. When asked what they would do if a student showed up to a class and was clearly under the influence, the response given was that if the student was acting differently than normal, then the student would be referred to the counseling office.
Josh Romanowski stated, “Due to the prevalence of marijuana already within our culture I feel the legalization will not affect the usage much. Most students I have met have already formed opinions and preferences on marijuana usage. I personally believe that the legalization of marijuana was the right thing to do because while I am not a user, I believe in people’s right to choose.”
A faculty member in the School of Technology shared their thoughts as well. “I don’t expect Proposal 1 will have too great of an impact on campus. Proposal 1 adds another layer of overhead to promote responsible use of marijuana. If students/others don’t behave responsibly, infrastructure (personnel, time, etc.) will need to be added to protect our high standard for the learning climate on campus. This additional infrastructure diverts student tuition dollars from instruction. Simply put, encourage your fellow students to behave responsibly to keep your costs down.” This faculty member also stated that Michigan Tech will still remain a drug-free campus, and those who defied the rule in the past, will continue to do so in the future.
Les Cook also gave his input on the impact of Proposal 1. “Outside of campus, I’d imagine there may be some increase in usage among the general population but I’m unsure about our students. A number of studies have apparently been done but it’s not clear that legalization has led to a huge uptick in usage.”
Bonnie Gorman, Les Cook, and the faculty member all mentioned how studies have been done that have shown that IQ is lowered when using marijuana. However, many still debate those studies.
*Note: This article ran 11/15/2018
