Reporter: Kyle Wiseman
It’s a time that will forever be remembered throughout history – cannabis is finally legal across Canada. Yet where there should be shouts of joy, instead there is public outcry; many seem to think that nothing’s really changed.
Late October, Memorial University sent out their regulations for cannabis use on campus as a reminder for students. Since 2013, Memorial has been a smoke-free environment, a policy that likely won’t change in the future. To the surprise of many students, cannabis isn’t allowed on campus in any form: smoke, vapour, or edibles. When asked why this policy is being enforced, the University has outlined two clear reasons.
Firstly, smoking on campus generates an environment of long-term health problems, something Memorial has been against since 2011. Since Memorial wants to promote a healthy environment and cigarette/cannabis use are closely integrated, it makes sense to keep both off of campus grounds.
Memorial’s second reason for the policy should make a lot more sense to students. Allowing recreational use of cannabis at Memorial would be counterproductive to the purpose of schooling. Students attend Memorial to learn, which is quite difficult to do while they are under the influence of recreational drugs.
How does this affect the actual students at Memorial? Views seem to be polarizing. “The smell of weed is way worse than cigarettes,” says Jennifer, a Folklore major. “And they smoke [cigarettes] everywhere.” Indeed, despite Memorial’s strict policy in maintaining a smoke-free environment, this has done little to prevent students from breaking the rules. But while students smoke cigarettes anywhere they’re not allowed to – in front of buildings with clear “No Smoking” signs – we’ve yet to see much cannabis use on campus in a similar fashion.
A recreational cannabis user, who chose to remain nameless, had much to say about Memorial’s choice to remain a smoke-free environment: “It’s as if nothing’s changed. We couldn’t smoke it when it was illegal, and we still can’t. What’s the point?”
It makes sense why Memorial is staying cannabis-free, though not everyone seems to agree. Whether students stop taking the campus-wide policy seriously, however, is still up for debate. Like cigarettes, cannabis may slowly begin to edge its way on campus. Or maybe students are actually concerned about what they learn, opting to keep cannabis off campus grounds. Only time will tell.
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