Federal Law Still Prohibits Marijuana In This NY Location

Marijuana has been legalized in the state of New York, but there is a federal law that overrides the state law in one specific location.

With 4/20 upon us this Tuesday, there will be one place where New York marijuana fans will not be lighting up: college campuses. According to a Times Union story, "...any institution that receives federal funding (must) have a drug policy that addresses marijuana use." The Drug-Free Schools and Communities act establishes this, so basically college campuses need to adhere to federal laws, which still classify marijuana as an illegal drug.

So, for example, the Times Union says schools like SUNY and Cornell University have already informed students that using or dealing the drug is still illegal on campus. Any schools that do not have a policy to address illegal marijuana use could risk losing federal funding. So ultimately this is up to schools how they police and address the issue, but most you have to imagine will adhere to the federal law to not risk losing funding.

You would assume college parties would be a popular spot for recreational marijuana use, but it looks like the status quo will remain for college students under the New York law: keep the party off-campus.