<p>My son plans to be attending a large university in the very near future (choices still being made) in a city (probably one in Washington state or California). He has about a 4.2 weighted GPA and has taken honors / AP classes throughout high school.</p>
<p>When he was 17 years old he was diagnosed with crohn's disease. He had lost so much weight due to the nausea and in ability to eat, that he was hospitalized at one point for being underweight. </p>
<p>The most effective treatment that our doctor had determined was the use of Medical Marijuana. It was then and there that my son was able to obtain his legal medical marijuana permit in the state of Washington. </p>
<p>He wants to live in a dorm room like everyone else, the use of the medicine in no way hinders his ability to function in the real world...i can even argue that as a father it makes him more functional (considering he isn't having nausea from the crohn's)...but he doesn't want to be arrested for using a medicine in privacy (maybe the roommate would have knowledge...but my son would allow it no further, he keeps the fact that he use marijuana on the DL)</p>
<p>He uses a vaporizer - a device that vaporizes the marijuana instead of creating a nasty smelling smoke...they have little to no odor and will not linger for days. What do you think a University's policy would be on something like this? Again, it is completely legal under law. (We have the required paperwork and credentials) </p>
<p>If you were in my situation, how would you go about finding out the answer for each individual university? Would you ask the university directly, his future RA, university police? What would be the best way to approach this.</p>
<p>(Please do NOT turn this thread into a medical marijuana debate...it has helped my son recover his life back...he has since gained weight, joined the gym, and improved himself since being diagnosed...if you want to debate the benefits of medical marijuana, please send me a PM)</p>
<p>Call the university directly and explain the situation. If anything, they can steer you in the right direction. I highly doubt they would have a problem with medical marijuana if you can clearly show it’s for used for medical reasons.</p>
<p>The RA is the low man on the totem pole. The campus police have to enforce the laws but most likely aren’t the most knowledgeable source of the laws they actually have to enforce.</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity (I’m an 18 year old, diagnosed at 16 with Crohn’s but thankfully have stay out of the hospital to the point) is your son on any other medication? What failed before his doctor decided on this?</p>
<p>Also make sure the state he goes to also has legalized medical marijuana. I’m pretty sure the two you mentioned do.</p>
<p>@ PurdueEE - So should i call the law enforcement agency of the university or the housing department? Also, would this be better to do in person or over the phone? (We have medical records and a signed prescription from the doctor, pursuant to state law) </p>
<p>@ginab591 - The doctor decided that medical marijuana was the best course of treatment after trying several medications including pentasa, reglan, zofran, other aminosalicyates, and even a few small procedures. It has helped him tremendously.</p>
<p>It’s really going to depend on the school. I would call the housing office; they’d probably either be able to help you or direct you to whoever can.</p>
<p>Some schools are more strict than others though. I know SSU allows no marijuana in our dorm, even if you have a medical marijuana card. Although I lived in a sub-free dorm…hm. I’ll check the housing policy and get back to you. :)</p>
<p>ETA: Checked the housing policy. Possession of marijuana in housing is a violation of contract. But it’s only considered “bulk” if it’s over 7 grams, which will get you thrown out.</p>
<p>Wow… 7 grams isn’t very much to be considered “bulk”.</p>
<p>Washington and California both have medical marijuana laws. In Washington, you can legally posses up to a 60 days supply without fear of being arrested for possession or paraphernalia charges. Since the officers who would be called to the dorm if someone reported him are full policemen, they can’t arrest him for simple possession. How often does he use the vaporizer? I would imagine that whichever University he goes to (except maybe Oaksterdam) has regulations against marijuana on campus. I think that even though it is prescribed (and he has the rights to use it) he is going to have to deal with educating them on the matter and it will probably cause a lot of unnecessary trouble. I would suggest just living off campus. It will spare a lot of headaches, and he can also grow there. I would call the schools he is looking at and see if they have some procedure with how to deal with medical MJ users living in the dorms (but I can’t possibly imagine they would let him vape in there).</p>
<p>Since he’s using a vaporizer rather than smoking, has a legal prescription for the vaporizer, and is choosing to attend college in a state that permits marijuana use for medical reasons, I wouldn’t do anything more than mention it on the medical questionnaire and on the roommate questionnaire, or to the housing department if the school doesn’t use roommate questionnaires. Presumably you wouldn’t do anything more than make a note on the medical questionnaire if he were using an inhaler for asthma, something with potentially life threatening consequences, so I can’t see why a vaporizer, used to manage discomfort rather than as a life saving measure, should be teated any differently by school authorities. And the way you approach the matter, as merely informing them of a medical issue that is well controlled through a physician’s prescription, will set the tone for how the school handles the issue.</p>
<p>@hebrewhammer- last I read it was still in trial stages, and not proven as a treatment for it as much as for nausea, etc. But the article could have been a year or two old. It has been used for a while as a treatment for nausea and other digestive problems from chemotherapy, which reasonably makes it a possible treatment for Crohn’s.</p>
<p>Medical marijuana is illegal everywhere in the US because federal law trumps state law. To be completely safe I’d suggest being an international student.</p>
<p>He uses the vaporizer a few times a day, usually so discreet that i can’t even tell he used it. </p>
<p>He wants to be in a dorm so he can actively meet new people in college…he is afraid that if he lives in off campus housing he will have trouble making new friends.</p>
<p>TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BRING UP THE FEDERAL LAW ISSUE: Currently, in the house of representatives there is the Medical Marijuana patient protection act.</p>
<p>Also, both the president and attorney general have vowed to stop raiding medical marijuana dispensaries. Multiple times state supreme court decisions have stood as the Federal Supreme Court REFUSES to hear medical marijuana cases. </p>
<p>If the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection act passes, it will place marijuana as a CLASS 2 substance, thus making it completely legal with a prescription. </p>
<p>He probably won’t be attending college till fall of 2011, so lets hope that that happens by then. </p>
<p>I just want to know if he risks being kicked out of school for using his medicine, and whether or not i should go as far as consulting legal counsel on this matter. (Money is no object, i will go this route if needed)</p>
<p>^If he’s dead-set on living on-campus, yes, you’ll probably need legal help.</p>
<p>But if the school, like SSU, is under the Drug-Free Schools Act (or whatever the heck it’s called), they probably get money from the government to be anti-marijuana. SSU is particularly strict about it because it “takes away from the academic environment”. </p>
<p>Note that that’s not necessarily my stance…just telling you what to expect. My older brother has severe Crohns (in fact he’s on leave from work right now because it’s so bad he can’t work), and if they figured out that medical marijuana would help him, I’d support it. Although I doubt he’d do it because he has a very young son at home and it might be hard for him not to get secondhand smoke/vapors.</p>
<p>@ GraceFillsMe I don’t think the government would take away funding from a school for allowing someone to use their prescribed medication. There’s something very wrong with that idea.</p>
<p>I dunno, but is THC available in concentrated doses by prescription? I’m pretty unfamiliar with the medical effects & availability of marijuana (never really bothered, I’m more of a drinker anyway), but that might be a way to go.</p>
<p>@ kansas democrat, yes THC is available in a concentrated form…but ONLY THC…none of the other several theraeutic cannabanoids…thats what he needs from it, the THC helps with apetite…but does not reduce nausea as well as in combination with the other cannabanoids found. </p>
<p>Believe me, I have done extensive research on this topic.</p>
<p>Maybe you could request that your son have a single room within a large dorm? That way roommates wouldn’t be a problem and he could be discreet about the whole thing.
How many times a day does he use it?</p>
<p>And this is more of a curiosity question, but is he allowed to drive on this medication? Does he still get the effects of being high?
This is more for myself in case it’s a route I ever have the choice of taking.</p>