EMU seeks to ban medical marijuana on campus

Eastern Michigan University is looking to ban medical marijuana use and possession on campus, a move that will put the college in line with other state institutions who have barred the drug, including Michigan State University and the University of Michigan.

Eastern Michigan University will decide today whether to ban medical marijuana use on its campus.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

The university says that although the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act of 2008 permits marijuana use with a certified prescription, federal laws such as the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 and the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Amendment of 1989 prohibit the drug on campuses.

Because EMU receives federal funding, it is subject to the federal act, the school asserts.

The matter will be put to a vote at EMU's Board of Regents meeting today.

Doug Ordway, owner of the Green Bee Collective, a medical marijuana dispensary in Ann Arbor, says he is disappointed by EMU’s push to ban the substance.

“They’re dependent on federal funding and it’s hard for them to support medical marijuana without getting in trouble,” he said. “But I’d like them to, at the minimum, be neutral on it because they’re going contradictory to the will of the people in Michigan.”

Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.