Syracuse, N.Y. – Earlier this month, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the possession of marijuana for individuals over 21 would be legal in New York State.
This week, Syracuse University announced they would not be amending their drug policies after the news, retaining the previous rules that made all use, possession, and distribution of cannabis prohibited.
Many students – such as Noah Lourie – were shocked SU overruled state law.
“I would guess the board is probably older people and don’t have the same view of marijuana as we do…I figured the school would just go along with state law,” Lourie said.
The university cites a federal law, which prohibits marijuana use in private institutions that receive federal funding.
“Maybe their hands were tied, even then it’s like well the federal law is ridiculous then,” added Lourie.
While the university deferred to federal law over state law, many students questioned the reasoning behind the ban in the first hand.
“If alcohol and cigarettes are legal, I don’t know why you’d make marijuana legal,” added Syracuse University student Matty Monahan.
Despite New York’s progressive drug laws, it looks like it may be awhile until the university joins in with the rest of the state.
