The possession, use, distribution, or sale of illegal drugs or controlled substances, including but not limited to marijuana, LSD or any other hallucinogenic drugs, cocaine, Ecstasy, GHB, barbiturates or other depressants, amphetamines or other stimulants, or the misuse of any prescription drug constitutes a violation of federal, state, and municipal laws and College regulations. Further, the possession, use or sale of drug paraphernalia, including but not limited to pipes, and bongs, is strictly prohibited.

Though legal in Michigan, medical and recreational marijuana are not permitted on campus property. The College receives a great deal of federal funding for student financial aid, and federal restrictions on marijuana supersede Michigan state law. Simply put, permitting marijuana on campus may jeopardize the ability of the College to receive federal funding. Because of this, medical marijuana is prohibited on campus property.

Violators will be subject to the full range of sanctions available to the College, including but not limited to substance abuse assessment, education, probation, removal from housing, suspension and expulsion. Violations involving the distribution or sale of drugs will lead to suspension or expulsion as minimum sanctions.

The College reserves the right to involve the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety in the possession, use, distribution, or sale of drugs or controlled substances. Should a student be suspected of distributing or selling drugs, the College will involve the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.

Prescription Drugs

Students must keep any medication that is prescribed to them in the original pill bottle.  For those who choose to use a pill organizer to manage their intake, they should have ready access to proof of a prescription and the original bottle that they are pulling from.  The dosage contained in the pill organizer should correlate with that of the prescription. 

The College reserves the right to ask students to verify their prescription when appropriate.  If the person in question is unable to do so in the moment, they will be given a timeline by which to do so before the case is referred to the Office of Student Conduct for follow-up.  If the proof of prescription has a date that indicates that the medication has expired or that it was written after the discovery and request for verification, the validity of the student’s claim will be further scrutinized. 

The unauthorized possession and use of prescription medication is a danger to individuals and the community.  Students are not only responsible for the safe storage of any medication prescribed to them, but also the safe disposal of any medication that has expired.  Many community drug stores provide receptacles in which to do so (e.g. Walgreen’s safe medication disposal kiosk).   

Students found responsible for behavior that is in violation of this policy will face sanctions through the student conduct system.  All state and federal laws regarding the illegal possession and distribution of prescription drugs apply.  Should local law enforcement become involved, the responsible party may face criminal charges and possible jail time.