Emily Cherney
Staff Writer
On Nov. 1, four students in Douglass Hall were charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Rumors circulated henceforth that these students were expelled for possession of over a pound of marijuana. In light of the recent election that resulted in marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington, students are curious about whether The College of Wooster will curb their policies on the drug.
According to Associate Director of Security and Protective Services, Joe Kirk, information regarding the amount of marijuana found cannot be provided at this time. There has been no judicial hearing as of yet, so the punishment these students will receive is unknown.
“We are required to call the police once paraphernalia or any larger quantity of marijuana — anything above an ounce — is found,” adds Kirk. If someone is caught with under an ounce and without paraphernalia, campus security handles the incident.
The students in Douglass did have at least an ounce along with drug paraphernalia, and each student charged had their own item. According to Kirk, campus security is legally obligated to call the police for possession of paraphernalia, or security can be charged for possession themselves.
In the state of Ohio, marijuana has been partially decriminalized. Governor John Kasich recently signed a bill that also decriminalized marijuana paraphernalia, which was once treated as a higher offense than possessing marijuana itself. If someone is caught with less than 100 grams, they can be charged up to $150, but it will not show up on their criminal record. Essentially, only those with amounts that suggest the person is dealing (100 grams or more) warrant incarceration. The person must have over 200 grams for the crime to be considered a felony. While possession of marijuana remains illegal in Ohio, laws are becoming more relaxed as other states in the country legalize the drug.
When Barack Obama was re-elected President last Tuesday, several state laws were also passed, much to the joy of liberals across the nation. Marijuana was legalized for recreational use in Colorado and Washington, and medicinal marijuana was legalized in Massachusetts. Now, these Americans can smoke marijuana without fear of punishment.
For Wooster though, policies will not be changing, unless the policies of Ohio change, says Kirk. Although some government officials in Ohio considered putting the legalization of marijuana for recreational use on the ballot this November, marijuana will probably continue being illegal here for quite some time.