Officials say medical pot use prohibited on campus

Smoking marijuana on campus is illegal, even if you have a medical marijuana identification card, officials say. "There is no difference between smoking regular and medical marijuana on campus," said Lt. Brad Young of the PCC Police Department. "The consequences of smoking or possession of marijuana on campus are the same as anywhere else. The card is not an, 'I can smoke anywhere I want' card. It doesn't make it legal."

According to Young, students have been misinformed on the law concerning the use of medical marijuana on campus. When found smoking, PCC students "try to pull their card out," said Young, not realizing it is pointless.

Attorney General Edmund G. Brown's 2008 California State Guidelines for the Security and Non-Diversion of Marijuana Grown for Medical Use states that medical marijuana may not be smoked "at or within 1,000 feet of a school, recreation center, or youth center." The exception would be if it occurs within a residence.

It is also illegal to smoke marijuana where smoking tobacco is prohibited, on a school bus, or in a moving vehicle or boat.

The use of marijuana for medical purposes law was approved by voters in November 1996 and modified by the Senate Bill 420 in 2004.

Proposition 215 states that "seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes where that medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician."

The California Senate Bill 420 prohibits physicians from being punished for having recommended marijuana to patients for medical purposes. It also sets new state guidelines concerning how much marijuana patients are allowed to grow or posses and it requires the State Department of Health Services to establish and maintain a voluntary program for the distribution of identification cards to fit patients.

These identification cards serve to protect the rights of those patients smoking marijuana for medical purposes. To get a card one needs the oral or written recommendation from a licensed physician. This has made it easier for students to smoke marijuana legally.

Mariah Morales, 18, forensics major, is epileptic, and was prescribed marijuana by her therapist to help minimize her seizures.

"I'm actually going next week to try to get my card. My therapist recommended it because my seizure medication is too expensive and my insurance doesn't cover it," said Morales. "I get them a lot. I've had three seizures since Friday."

Alexandria Camacho Platas, 18, psychology major, is considering getting her medical marijuana identification card.

"I've been thinking about it," said Platas. "I just have to make sure I have my priorities set straight."

Whether PCC students are smoking marijuana for medical purposes or whether they are smoking it illegally, it is not rare to find them smoking on campus.

"We find most students who smoke marijuana in the parking lots. Students walking by smell it coming from their frequently open windows and report it," Young said. These students are caught occasionally.

One incident stood out in Young's mind. "We had a case on May seventh last year in parking Lot 3, where the student was smoking in his car with the windows down. When he stepped out, inside the door was a storage area . where we could openly see a loaded handgun," explained Young. "This particular incident comes to mind because the primary use of marijuana is to get intoxicated. This would have clearly impaired his judgment. He was arrested and the charge of possession was added."

Officials advise students to keep in mind that the laws and penalties off campus apply equally to students while on campus.