BLACKSBURG, Va – Although Marijuana is just weeks away from becoming legal in the commonwealth, it may still be banned on many college campuses across the state.
Virginia Tech was one of the first schools to announce it would not be allowed on its campus because marijuana is still illegal on a federal level, therefore it will still be banned from Tech’s campus.
The university updated its student code of conduct to reflect the change.
University Spokesperson Mark Owczarski said most public schools in the state are obligated to follow federal law even though state law may be different.
“We currently, all of us are under the obligation of the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act, it’s a federal law that says, no possession no use of cannabis on a college campus,” University Spokesperson Mark Owczarski said.
The change to the school’s code of conduct only impacts students on Tech’s campus.
“If you are off-campus or you live off-campus and you follow Virginia law as it relates to cannabis use and possession, then our Student Code of Conduct says, that’s okay,” Owczarski said.
But Owczarski said one of the biggest challenges is making sure students know where Tech’s campus ends and Blacksburg town limits begin.
“The challenges is to make sure that students are aware that when they are on-campus and when they are off-campus, there will be different policies that they are subject to,” Owczarski said.