TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — A rising issue of people smoking in on-campus housing has some officials wanting students to know the consequences that come along with it.
In Alabama, the use of marijuana is illegal, which means it is also prohibited on Troy University’s campus.
Dean of Student Services Herbert Reeves has worked at Troy University for decades. He says this has been happening for a long time.
“I’ve been working and responsible in housing for over 41 years and it’s been like that the whole time,” Reeves said.
Troy University Police Department Chief George Beaudry says he has seen the same thing.
“It’s becoming socially acceptable even in areas where the law prohibits it.”
According to Reeves, resident assistants have to follow protocol when it comes to people smoking in dorms. When RAs are aware of the marijuana odor and reports, they can do room checks, but they are not allowed to physically search through the room.
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“We can’t go in, find marijuana in the room, call the police, and go ‘hey, here it is’ and the police arrest them. They have to have a search warrant,” Reeves explained.
If university police have to get involved, Beaudry says people don’t get in trouble for smelling like marijuana. The crime is possessing it, which is a second-degree misdemeanor.
For a first-time offender, TUPD sends the student to Student Services where the student will get an academic consequence like suspension from the university.
“Hopefully, if a student gets into a position where that first-time offense gets them enough discipline over there that it’ll change their trajectory without us having to take them to jail,” Beaudry told TrojanVision.
What happens to a student if it isn’t their first offense?
“It’s highly likely that on a second-offense, we’re gonna take them to jail which will, in fact, be their first criminal offense, so it’s still a misdemeanor,” Beaudry said.
According to Beaudry, this semester, TUPD has been called to investigate reports of marijuana odor. However, officers have not reported any students to Student Services or made any arrests.
On social media, there was also a rumor about students getting a $50 reward for reporting the smell of marijuana. Dean Reeves told TrojanVision the rumor is not true and there is no reward system for reporting drug use on campus.
