Four University of Memphis students were accused of illegally smoking marijuana in Carpenter Complex on Jan. 18, which some say is becoming more prevalent and annoying in residence halls.
A campus police report stated a resident at the complex complained about the smell of weed coming from room 204 around 6 p.m. The four occupants were all present, but denied smoking any substances. The case was referred to the Office of Student Conduct.
When officers arrived on the scene no evidence was found, but they too could smell marijuana, the report said.
“It’s really annoying,” said Torika Baleilekutu, a resident at Carpenter. “I hate walking from class and coming home to the smell of weed. It’s disgusting.”
Officer Derek Myers of the campus police said while marijuana is legal in some parts of the country; it is still illegal in Tennessee. That means smoking weed in a residence hall at the U of M is against the rules and students who smoke it will face the consequences.
“I think we’re seeing an increase because obviously several states have pretty much legalized it even though the federal government has not and the state of Tennessee has not,” Myers said. “But we know from the surveys that more than half of the population thinks it should be legal and continue to smoke out of habit.”
The U of M residence life contract states if a resident is caught with paraphernalia or drugs, his or her contract will be canceled. However, Myers said if a student is caught with any type of drug on campus including alcohol there is no set punishment. It can range from suspension or expulsion based on the Student Code of Conduct.
“All students are responsible for knowing what’s in the Student Code of Conduct,” Myers said. “Even if marijuana was legal, that doesn’t mean the University says it’s OK to smoke it here.”
In fact, Myers said even though the number of drug violations on campus may seem to be increasing, the incidents at the U of M are relatively low compared to other similar size schools.
“If you look at what other universities report, we’re pretty low,” Myers said. “The reason is that less than 10 percent of our students actually live on campus.”
For students such as Baleilekutu, the issue is not whether it is legal or illegal or even whether the University takes it seriously enough. It is just a matter of courtesy to other students who live in the same place.
“I’m not saying that people shouldn’t have the right to smoke, but they should consider smoking somewhere where it’s appropriate rather than breaking the rules and disturbing residents’ homes” Baleilekutu said.
Myers said the U of M gets about 40 to 50 reports every year about illegal drug use on campus. If a student or staff member notices someone smoking in residence halls the first thing he or she should do is contact resident life.
“Students forget that they can help the problem too… If they notice someone smoking in the wrong areas they can tell them to stop instead of expecting us to do it,” Myers said. “They are the ones who live here and are affected it by it everyday.”
