weeding out
EDUCATION words ALI PITARGUE illustrations SHEKU NAFISI
How BCIT’s Cannabis Policy Was Hashed Out BCIT’s cannabis policy prohibits the use of recreational marijuana across all campus premises. Executives say that cannabis could pose risks to curriculums that operate heavy machinery, but some students are questioning the ban.
October 17th marks one year since the Cannabis Act became law. Marijuana became legal to be consumed, carried, and shared for all persons aged 18 years or above. Leading up to legalization, many expected total reefer madness to dawn upon the country— car accidents going up, grades going down, and the skunky aroma of weed diffusing into the atmosphere.
12
evolving at a snail’s pace due to shortages and slow distribution.1 For one, B.C. police have reported zero charges of pot-impaired driving. 2
As it turned out, all this fearmongering was blown out of proportion.
This is even the case for colleges and universities. Sure, post-secondary aged students make up the largest demographic that consumes cannabis, 3 but most students still show up to class every day without letting weed thwart their intentions of graduating on time. At BCIT, any recorded incidents of cannabis impairment are kept mum.
The rollout of weed supply has been tame and minimal so far. The legal cannabis industry has been
Schools like UBC and SFU are allowing designated areas for pot-smoking, but most Canadian insti-
linkbcit.ca
