Despite the recent passage of Amendment 64—the new provision in the Colorado Constitution that legalizes marijuana for those over 21 and allows the state to regulate and tax the substance—it has remained Colorado College’s policy that no student, whether on campus or off, may use the drug while enrolled.
Days after the Amendment’s enactment into law, CC President Jill Tiefenthaler sent out an email clarifying that, though the drug was legal in the state, it was still prohibited by school rules.
However, over the winter break school officials made at least six drug referrals after searching students’ rooms. The referrals—two from Mathias and one each from Blanca, Bemis, Antero, and a campus-owned house on Cascade—were all discoveries of drugs or drug paraphernalia.
Associate Dean for Students Rochelle Mason did not respond to an email requesting comment.
It is unclear what, if any, correlation the referrals have to the drug’s legalization. That is, whether or not any of the referrals arose from over-age students purchasing marijuana legally.
Although the state constitution permits the use of marijuana for residents over 21 years of age—as do the constitutions of several other states, to varying degrees—federal law remains ambiguous. Under the Obama Administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration generally does not enforce prohibition of the law where state or local authorities have allowed it, though some legal experts question whether or not this decision is lawful.
Ansel Carpenter
Staff Writer