I am really surprised by some responses OP gets. I did not realized this particular substance abuse is so popular among parents.
Oh good god. The hysteria around weed is ridiculous.
Smoking weed is not necessarily substance abuse. Especially since you can’t actually get addicted to weed (in a chemical sense), it’s hard to “abuse” weed.
I’m a college student, not a parent, but I’d sure as hell rather have my kid around pot heads than alcoholics.
(I didn’t smoke in college and I don’t smoke now. I did consume weed for a while because of my chronic, debilitating pain. The alternative was morphine… which is actually easy to abuse.)
I’m not saying he shouldn’t report it. By all means, they shouldn’t be smoking in the hall. But the hysteria here is just ridiculous.
I believe this discussion is not about medical marijuana. This is completely different story.
Four more states will be voting next week to legalize recreational marijuana.
@Ballerina016, I don’t smoke either, but I agree with @romanigypsyeyes. Marijuana abuse is much less common and much less dangerous than alcohol. Everyone I knew in High School tried it, and I only know two people who still do it today.
I can think of quite a few people from High School who ended up having trouble with alcohol, though.
The question OP had was how to navigate his / her son in the situation not discussion on marijuana use in adult population. My own state is voting for recreation use of marijuana and it is expected to pass. It is a great money making machine and a lot is invested by different organizations. But again, it is not a question OP had.
The OP’s son just needs to lock up his Cheetos.
good one 
those are definitely in danger. OP, I don’t think anyone is trying to be rude or insensitive. We’re just trying to make light of the situation, and point out that it really isn’t a dangerous situation or anything like that.
I do think a substance-free dorm would be good for your son. I also think he should find out what courses the stoners are taking and sign up for them. They’re probably bringing down the curve
If it were me, the issue is not that pot is illegal, it is that it smells terrible and the odor permeates everything, not unlike cigarette smoking. I would not want people smoking cigarettes in the hallway (or their rooms if the smell traveled through vents) either. I suspect there is no smoking (of any kind) that is allowed in the dorms.
I’d talk to the RA about it and tell them if it isn’t resolved, you want to change dorms to a substance free dorm. That would be a bummer if you like your room mate, but students transferring out of a dorm because the RA cannot enforce the rules that exist doesn’t look very good on the RA’s record. I suspect he/she could help here.
My son would be unhappy in that scenario, too, and we’re pretty open-minded about what people do on their own time as competent adults.
Dorms are close quarters. He wouldn’t be happy with smoking (nicotine) either.
^^^Thus, substance free housing. I’m hoping my kid chooses it–not because I’m against potheads or partiers or whatever-- but for these reasons. You just can’t escape what’s going on around you, and it will be going on around you. If these things bother you, best to stay out of the way.
Smoking INSIDE the building is an issue- if this is happening, he should ask them to take it outside, if they don’t THEN take action. Selling is also an issue, that can bring random questionable people in, again ask them to take it outside.
totally report them. this one guy i knew is still in a coma from injecting 5 whole marijuanas.
1 like = 1 prayer
I am slightly puzzled by the responses. Most colleges have a strict no smoking policy for students living in the dorms. The students sign a legally binding contract to abide by the terms of the contract. Yet the advice given here seems to be to have the student following the rules to change dorms. It is possible that the same issue will happen in the substance free dorm. How many parents force their kid to sign up for those dorms.
The issue is that cigarette or pot smoke can cause severe health problems for asthmatics. It could easily make my daughter sick for a few days or send her to the er unable to breath. Why is it so unreasonable to expect housing to enforce the rules and the state laws? Why is the common attitude that everything is okay because they are college students and pot is harmless? Well that is not always tte case.
The reality is this sitution can be hard to avoid. If your son feels harassed or if his heath is impacted then discuss it with the RA and escalate if necessary. If it just annoys him, then it might be better to learn to deal with it or move.
I just don’t see the issue if it isn’t his roommate or open smoking in the public areas like lounges. So some people on his hall smell like weed and are stoned some of the time. He does not seem to be at risk in any way. Personally – I’d rather have people stoned than drunk on my hall if I had to choose. Less likely to be loud or throw up.
If your child has asthma you should definitely disclose it on the health portion of the dorm paperwork. I would think that most colleges can deal with this / have a place. Ours did. I would not want my asthmatic kid in a carpeted room, nor in a building that would have smokers. But in the general dorm, with no pre-disclosed conditions, well–you get what you get and you don’t get upset. The difference is, in a designated substance free dorm, if someone brings the substances IN, then THEY have to leave. In a general dorm, there’s a basic expected level of tolerance. That’s my understanding, anyway.
Hopefully the OP will return to provide more color on exactly the situation her son is facing and why he feels pressured. Not enough detail to go on in the original post, IMO.
“The reality is this sitution can be hard to avoid.”
I don’t think responses are being dismissive of the situation by suggesting a move to substance free housing if it exists and is available. I think they are just being realistic and pragmatic given life on most college campuses.
I third, fourth, fifth the suggestion to move to substance free housing.
If they are smoking inside, it’s an issue of smoking. The smell is disgusting, whether it’s pot, a pipe or nicotine. If OP’s son wanted to complain about people smoking cigarettes in the hallways, would he be getting the level of responses he is getting here? I don’t get why people think OP’s son should just shut up about this situation. Most colleges have rules about smoking. Smoking cigarettes is legal in all 50 states but colleges have the right to ban it in dorms. The same should apply to pot smoking. If it is banned in the dorms, why should students have to shut up and tolerate it? As for the students involved getting expelled, if you break the rules, you run that risk.
“The issue is that cigarette or pot smoke can cause severe health problems for asthmatics”
Actually studies show that marijuana and cigarette smoke are not the same. Some studies have shown that marijuana may help asthmatics. Of course since it’s still a schedule I drug studies are limited.
I’m a teatottler. I never drank at all or smoked pot in college. But it would never have occurred to me to rat out the people who were. Of course sometimes the dorm reeked of pot but really if It’s so upsetting move to a substance free dorm.
Something to consider - legalization could eliminate two of the legitimate concerns people have brought up - questionable people coming in from the outside and the smell and health effects of the smoke.
I’m not sure how many people come in from the outside or how questionable they would really be, but if pot were legal, the buyers would most likely be shopping at a weed store, not our kids’ dorms.
As far as the smoke goes, weed stores sell edibles and oils that can be vaped instead of smoked. I personally would go for those instead of smoking weed if I were going to do it. I’m sure many kids would, too.
I just googled vaping and learned that the oils can have dangerous solvents in them. I’m not sure if that’s the case with the store bought versions, too, but it sounds like it is. There’s also vaping with regular weed, so I guess that’s possible already. I guess you’ll never eliminate the smoke in college dorms, but I’m sure some kids would switch to the edibles if they were readily available at a weed store down the street.