Another medical marijuana bill has been introduced to the Illinois General Assembly in Springfield after being vetoed previously. If passed, concern of illegal activity on campus has been raised by ISU authorities.

Chief of Police for the ISU Police Department Aaron Woodruff said illegally selling prescription drugs to other students is already a problem on campus. He is concerned this problem will worsen if this law is passed.

“It’s a problem that’s hard to get a handle on because a lot of students have it legally, and those students find it as an easy way to make money,” Woodruff explained. “It’s hard to tell who’s using it correctly or not and it’s not a typical illicit drug where there’s other paraphernalia around that show its abuse.”

Although the purpose for legalizing this drug would be for medical use, if used incorrectly, the consequences could be very serious.

Along with Woodruff’s concern for the illegal distribution of the drug, Bobbie Stevens, Student Health Services nursing supervisor, explains her concern on the situation as being harmful to students’ health.

Stevens said using any drug not prescribed to the specific person is potentially dangerous. With the legalization of marijuana, the risks will only worsen. 

“Taking illegal or legal medications your medical professional is not aware of can end in serious to fatal results,” Stevens said.

“It is extremely important to only take medication that is prescribed to you from your provider as intended,” she added.

The Student Health Services will take the same course of action for all prescription drugs in order to control the misuse of marijuana if the law is passed.

“There are currently processes in place to limit, manage and minimize fraud of using prescribed, controlled substances,” she explained.

Although there is not much known about the law yet, Woodruff said marijuana is going to be strictly for medical use.

His concern is if the restrictions are not well thought out, it could easily harm students on campus.

“I think in other states the problem is that sometimes it’s passed, and they haven’t thought out all the implications of legalizing cannabis,” he explained. “Whether it’s for prescription medical use or even certain amounts for personal use, there is some long-term impact that still needs to be looked at.”

Overall, he says that the ISU Law Enforcement is opposed to the idea. Until the drug is legalized, they will continue to handle everything how they typically do.

If passed, action will be taken on campus based on how the law is worded.