The Medicinal Plant Chemistry (MPC) program is preparing for the effects of a ballot proposal that Michigan voters passed last week making the state the first in the Midwest to recognize the legal possession, distribution and use of recreational marijuana.
Proposal 1 passed with 57 percent approval, according to unofficial results, and will allow adults over the age of 21 to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and grow up to 12 plants per household.
“I don’t think it’s going to affect the education much,” associate chemistry professor Brandon Canfield said. “Yet, I’m really excited for our students that it will present a lot more job opportunities in that field in this state.”
Canfield added he expects the MPC program will get a boost of incoming students seeking future ambitions with studying plants like marijuana, coffee and herbs.
The ballot initiative, from the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol allows for the licensing of businesses that grow, process, test, transport or sell marijuana with three classes of cultivator licenses.
“[Business] is a big part of what the program is about,” Canfield said. “In other states like California, Oregon and Colorado, they have a legal market for cannabis and not a lot of trained analysts. Consumers have a right to know what’s in [cannabis products].”
Following the proposal’s passing, the Dean of Students Office, in addition to the Northern Michigan University Police Department (NMUPD) and ASNMU, has circulated information about students possessing or smoking the to-be-legal marijuana, asking those living on campus to follow laws and policies similar to the consumption of alcohol and tobacco.
Dean of Students Christine Greer, encouraged students, faculty and staff in a campus-wide email on Nov. 7 to abide by the rules under the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act (DFSCA).
“Universities that violate this federal law risk losing funding, including some types of financial aid,” Greer said in the email.
“As a recipient of the Title IV financial aid funds, Northern must adhere to federal law and prohibit all schedule 1 drugs, including marijuana, from the campus, regardless of legalization statewide.”
Freshman pre-law major and off-duty army veteran Logan Hartz believes the law will be beneficial, but recalls that student veterans have stronger rules with the plant than normal.
“It’s illegal for people in the army to consume marijuana, but they’re not banned when you’re in veteran status,” Hartz said. “Some medical places are already using marijuana to test people with PTSD.”
The measure also prohibits marijuana consumption or smoking in a public place or private location where the owner forbids it, and it won’t override workplace drug policies.
Senior biology major and Spooner Hall Resident Advisor Seton Trost said the new law shouldn’t be a big issue, but strongly recommends caution toward marijuana.
“I like to see more safety measures with it in place,” Trost said. “My initial opinion and suggestion is not to ‘get high and drive’ and never bring the substances onto campus.”
David • Nov 15, 2018 at 2:12 pm
I have long beleived that Marijuana should be legal for both recreational and medicinal use and have advocated for changing the law making it criminal to posses and use. I did however vote no on Proposal 1 because it was extremely shortsighted in its writing. Specificall the measly fixed 10% excise tax. The problem with the writing is that it will be near to impossible to alter this number in the future, requiring either a second ballot proposal, or a 75% supermajority in both legislative houses in Lansing. Neither of which have much of a chance of passing. Between sales tax and excise taxes, Colorado collects 36% tax on the sales of recreational Marijuana for upwards of $200 MILLION dollars in tax revenue annually. Michigan will only be able to collect 16% (6% sales tax plus 10% excise tax). With nearly twice the population Michigan was well positioned to collect half a billion dollars, or more, in taxes from recreatinal marijuana sales. Think what that could do for the education of Michigans youth, but for the expediency of being able to legally smoke weed now, Michigan voters chose to leave all that money on the table. Our new governor is already talking gas tax increases. Incredibly shortsighted!
My other complaint about the way that Proposal 1 was pushed on the voters in Michigan is how the voters were encouraged to vote yes because of the medicinal value of marijuana. Let me point out that marijuana has been legal for medical use in Michigan for over a decade now, and Proposal 1 had absulutely ZERO to do with its medicinal value. The state of Michigan has a registry of over 1.3 million current licensed medical marimuana card holders. With a total population of 9.65 million residents, that means that nearly 1 in 6 Michiganders is already smoking weed legally. Recreational marijuana legalization has ZERO to do with them. This proposal was NOT about them it was completely about those who just want to get high. If you need/want marijuana for its medicinal value, you very likely already have it or could quite easily.
I’m glad the it is now legal for recreational use. Just don’t confuse recreational use with medical use.