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The Exponent (Purdue): Marijuana policy should imitate ‘real world’ penalties |
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Written by Editorial Board
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Thursday, 05 March 2009 |
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For the past 10 years, Purdue has had a strict no-tolerance policy on drug possession in residence halls. Recently, there have been efforts to change this policy to a less severe one. Last week, Purdue’s branch of the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws submitted a petition, signed by thousands of students, to Purdue Student Government to change the policy.
The current marijuana policy dictates that any resident found with marijuana or paraphernalia in the residence hall will be evicted or kicked out from said hall on the first offense. This policy contrasts greatly with the alcohol policy in halls: A student is allowed to be found with or in the presence of alcohol up to three times with no consequences.
We think the crime should fit the punishment. Instead of it being all
(zero-tolerance) or nothing (several warnings before a consequence),
perhaps the new marijuana policy should be a happy medium. Harsher
punishments for larger amounts, milder punishments for smaller amounts
– just as it is outside of residence halls.
In the real world, if someone underage is caught consuming or with
possession of alcohol, punishments can vary; a usual penalty involves a
fine, community service and possible probation. If someone is caught
possessing marijuana in Indiana, the punishments can vary as well. If
caught with 30 grams or fewer, the person would get off with a
misdemeanor, a fine with a maximum of $5,000, and could face up to one
year in jail. But if someone’s caught with more than that, the
punishments increase drastically – especially if it is apparent that
the person had an intent to deal.
We’re not quite sure if the marijuana policy in residence halls is
ready to be the same as the alcohol policy just yet. But most residents
are underclassmen and probably underage, so both alcohol and marijuana
offenses are, in fact, illegal. What we are sure of is that the policy
should at least be proportional to marijuana vs. alcohol policies in
the real world. It just seems more fair.
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