On November 7^th, the state of Massachusetts voted Yes on 4. And yes- you know exactly what I’m talking about, on December 15^th marijuana was officially legalized in Massachusetts. A "yes" vote supported this proposal to legalize marijuana but regulates it in ways similar to alcoholic beverages. Under the new law, individuals at least 21 years old would be able to use it, grow it, and possess it. The measure stipulated that individuals could possess under 10 ounces of marijuana inside their homes and under one ounce in public, also allowing them to grow up to six marijuana plants in their homes.

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Massachusetts argued on its website, “Regulating marijuana will replace a dangerous underground market with a system of licensed businesses that ask for ID and only sell marijuana to adults. Law enforcement officials will be able to spend more of their time and limited resources addressing serious crimes.

Taxing marijuana sales will raise millions of dollars in new revenue each year. Legitimate marijuana businesses will create thousands of good jobs for Massachusetts residents and utilize the products and services of other Massachusetts businesses.

Marijuana is less toxic than alcohol, it's less addictive, and it's far less likely to contribute to violent crimes and reckless behavior. It simply doesn't make sense to have laws that allow the use of alcohol, yet punish adults who prefer a less harmful substance.

(If you’d like to study more about the arguments about marijuana across the decades- Dr. Seth Blumenthal, a CAS professor, teaches the course “Marijuana in American History” and it centers on the role marijuana should play in society.)

But there’s still some stuff that’s not acceptable--especially if you are a BU student--and it’s important to understand what the passing of this law means for you, as an individual.

Boston University is a private university and is largely funded by the federal government. Our laboratories receive amazing funds for research and if you’ve applied for financial aid you know that students receive pell grants and other forms of assistance from the federal government. The main implication of all this is that Boston University has to follow federal laws- not state ones.

And at the federal level, marijuana has not yet been legalized. So honestly this means that not a lot will change for you if you are a student at this University. Possession of marijuana will still be considered an offense, even if you are 21. If you are caught smoking it, or even found to be in the vicinity of the odor of marijuana, Boston University officials could still take action against you. Yes, that means hanging out in the ‘'bakery,’' even if you aren’t indulging in consumption could still be written off as an offense.

Drug paraphernalia is also still not allowed on campus. And this term doesn’t just refer to pipes and bongs, it extends to vapes and hookahs (even an apple with a pen stuck in it), and basically anything you could smoke out of- even if you’re not using it to smoke marijuana.

So before you step out for a celebratory smoke, remember--if you’re on campus, a lot of the new laws don’t apply to you. Be careful about the activity that is going on around you because there is probably going to be an eruption in the amount of smoking that happens on and around campus and you certainly don’t want to be caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

There are a lot of grey areas in this situation, as expected, but you’d rather be safe than sorry. So if you do decide to smoke marijuana, make sure you are indeed 21, make sure you don’t have anyone underage around you, make sure you are clearly off campus, make sure your landlord hasn’t sent you a notice restricting the use of marijuana despite the new law, and most importantly make sure you are safe!