BU POT POLICY MISCONCEPTIONS

Contrary to Richard Su's opinion, I do not believe Boston University
has ignored changes in Massachusetts marijuana laws ("LETTER: BU
ignores change in pot law," March 4). In actuality, many of the
statements in Su's letter are incorrect. While the article states
that the Office of Residence Life has noticed an increase in
marijuana use, it also specifies that this increase has taken place
on campus ("BUPD, ORL disagree on change in BU pot presence," March
3). Su may be correct in his assumption that there has not been an
overall increase in pot use, but the ORL has statistics that prove
the increase of incidents in residence halls. Indeed, the reason for
this increase may be because of people like Su who do not seem to
understand the implications of Question 2. Decriminalization is not
the same as legalization. Su writes that people no longer have to
"sneak around" when using marijuana, but the fact remains that while
they will not be arrested for possessing less than an ounce of
marijuana, they will still have to pay a fine -- that is, pot is
still illegal. Furthermore, there is definitely still a penalty for
having pot in a residence hall (in many cases, a removal from
university housing). Smokers should keep in mind that while the state
of Massachusetts has lessened its penalties, BU has not. And
frankly, any illegal substance should remain banned from a residence
hall. Regardless of their opinions, students must respect both
Massachusetts laws and BU's, or at least remember they'll still be
doing their fair share of "sneaking around."

Bailey Roese

CAS '10