Despite State Issue 2 passing on the Ohio ballot Tuesday, smoking marijuana will not be allowed on campus. Cannabis is set to become legal for recreational use statewide for adults 21 and older, according to the ballot’s language. 

Associate Dean of Students Todd Kamenash said the university has no plans of changing its policy regarding marijuana.

“Because we receive federal dollars, we still have to abide by federal laws,” he said. “Even if a state legislation does change, we can’t change the federal statute.”

Kamenash is referring to the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act. Passed in 1989, the legislation bans the use of illegal drugs, alcohol, and tobacco from publicly-funded areas which includes schools and universities. 

“Until the federal policy changes, university policy likely won’t,” he said.

As of now, marijuana has not been made federally legal. The university’s official policy is that it is a smoke-free campus, meaning cannabis and similar products would still not be allowed.

If a student is caught with marijuana, they are subject to a warning. Repeated offenders are placed on probation up to dismissal from the university.

The policy for university housing also remains the same. Resident assistants, or RAs, are trained to detect and report instances of marijuana use by residents.

Senior mathematics major and current resident assistant Tesa Edwards says the university has very specific rules when dealing with marijuana use in the dorms.

“It starts with us smelling the odor of cannabis,” she said. “Then we have to have two RAs go around and pinpoint. So we both have to independently find the same room and agree that that is where the odor is coming from.”

Edwards, who resides in Fletcher Hall, explains that both resident assistants must approach the room, introduce themselves, and ask if they have any marijuana in their room. If they say no, the resident assistant must then ask if they consent to a room check.

“If we do find cannabis, then we call KSU PD to have that confiscated and then we document the situation whether cannabis was present or not,” she said.

Edwards says the age of the resident does not matter and marijuana will still be confiscated if found.

Despite the rules, students often get away with possessing marijuana in the dorms. Senior English major and former resident assistant Q Quiñones says that not all RAs take the job seriously and that marijuana use in the dorms is not always reported due to the paperwork that often comes with reporting.

With the passing of Issue 2, marijuana is set to be legalized for recreational use in Ohio on December 7.

Michael Neenan is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].