<p>Cutting through all of the crap here, including Top Tier’s gratuitous moralizing: The OP got kicked out of college for violating a zero tolerance drug policy. He can apparently reapply for admission once he has taken steps the college has suggested to acknowledge and deal with his drug/alcohol use (which, I am guessing, was not a one-time thing). Still guessing, I bet that following the college’s suggestions and reapplying for admission, then keeping a clean nose and having the dismissal expunged upon (and maybe prior to) graduation is by far the easiest and best way to deal with this.</p>
<p>I would recommend calming down and then discussing things again with a dean, very carefully and precisely. Can you finish this semester and get credit for your courses? What, exactly, does the college want to see you have done before it will re-admit you? (Show enthusiasm for doing that, and more. Also, be contrite.) How likely is it that the college will re-admit you if you do those things, and deal with any underlying drug problem you have?</p>
<p>@JHS: You’re clearly free to characterize my posts to this thread as “gratuitous moralizing.” Not only would I not concur, I would highlight the obvious: had the OP heeded such advice in the past, he would not have kicked out of his university nor would he likely have to deal with decades of questions and, quite possibly, rejections when he (for example) seeks a job that requires a top secret/compartmented security clearance, or applies for bar membership, or wants to work in law enforcement, or maybe even wants to attend certain graduate/professioanl schools, or a good deal more. </p>
<p>CC largely exists to provide information, experiences, and insight to younger people. That’s an important responsibility, since foolish and myopic recommendations can easily do far more harm than good. I’m confident, that my comments are beneficial. Are you, JHS? </p>
<p>Right. OP quoted: *Conditions for readmission may include, but are not limited to, disciplinary probation for a specified length of time; non-residence on campus; restricted visitation to specified campus facilities; and written statement from an accredited mental health professional or medical doctor verifying the capability of the student to function successfully at the University. *</p>
<p>Aside from working toward that, the atrial fibrillation can be serious. OP shouldn’t blithely set it aside. </p>
<p>I suspect that the OP didn’t “do” anything, he just needed medical assistance and then it was determined that he had broken the zero tolerance policy. He needs to tell us though. </p>
<p>The OP has just discovered he has a heart condition and you’re telling him to ponder the ‘morality or the legality’ of smoking weed and drinking underage? What does morality have to do with it? Nothing. What is unclear about the legality of it? Nothing. Is this the most important part of the story? Definitely not.</p>
<p>What a strange country America is.</p>
<p>OP, make sure you’re healthy. And follow @JHS’s advice.</p>
<p>^ ^ ^ ^
America’s ongoing decline is, in my opinion, fueled by such permissive attitudes, which ignore longstanding legal and ethical precepts that have served this nation very well for many years. We all have an obligation to obey the law – not only those laws with which we agree or those laws that are personally convenient and/or beneficial – but all laws. Obviously, there are Constitutional process to modify and/or to repeal laws that have out-served their usefulness. Until that is done, however, it is our duty to comply with duly enacted statutes. “Smoking weed,” as you call it, is a clear violation of the Federal criminal code (Title 21 USC, The Controlled Substances Act). </p>
<p>TopTier – I understand your perspective, but I just want to point out that there never was a time when everyone agreed that obeying the government in every way was considered a moral duty. There’s always been dissent, there’s always been rebellion – hell, if you’re from the U.S. the country was founded by people who decided to overthrow their government and killed the people who the government sent to enforce the laws. </p>
<p>(Besides, where would we be if guys like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. thought that way?)</p>
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<p>I agree. He doesn’t really need to tell US if he is not comfortable but he does have to work this out with the college. Colleges are supposed to make accommodations for disabled students when practicable, right?? They can’t do that if they don’t know what’s going on and the student with the condition is the best person to talk about this with them.</p>
<p>Obviously if he has a drug violation he has to stop that, but he does have to get some kind of support for his medical condition so that he can see if he can continue taking classes while he is being treated. I am not sure how severe/debilitating this condition, if it’s something that can be treated on an outpatient basis then that might be what he can suggest as part of his action plan to appeal his dismissal.</p>
<p>Short version: I think he needs a two-part plan – one, to deal with his drug or substance abuse problems so that they don’t recur and two – to make sure he has any medical accommodations he might need as a result of the diagnosis. </p>
<p>(Of course this is assuming that the punishment was solely because of this one drug incident. While I respect the OP’s privacy the vagueness of the details does make it a little tough to tell what’s going on.)</p>
<p>@DmitriR: Your first paragraph (in post #28) is certainly correct, I understand ALL that it conveys, and I sincerely appreciate your posting it. However, when one opts for dissent, lawlessness, rebellion and so forth, one should reasonably expect the consequences (sometime severe) of his illicit actions.</p>
<p>When the OP decided to smoke cannabis at a Catholic university (where, I suspect, the rules of comportment are more stringent than normal), he certainly understood that, were he caught, there would likely be adverse ramifications. That’s precisely what happened. Under those circumstances, I find it very difficult to feel much sympathy . . . especially because he now whines on CC, asking others what should he do. Shouldn’t the OP have thought about the possible penalties – as well as his concomitant responses – BEFORE breaking the rules? In sum, if dissenters, lawbreakers, and rebels can’t tolerate the unfavorable repercussions, they simply shouldn’t break the rules.</p>
<p>As a “side bar,” what makes Dr. King, our Founding Fathers and others with extraordinary moral courage so remarkable, is their bravery, determination and willingness to stand for their beliefs DESPITE the most draconian penalties (I’ve always felt sure that if King George’s troops had captured signers of the Declaration of Independence, summary hanging would have been the near-immediate result . . . I believe Nathan Hale is a good paradigm of what would likely have happened).</p>
<p>@Crivil18 said “technically I’m not in any trouble with the law since I did not have possession of marijuana or alcohol on my person or in my room.”</p>
<p>How old are you? In many states you are considered to be in possession if you have alcohol or drugs in your system. So, technically you may be guilty of breaking laws concerning possession. You may just be lucky that the police were not be involved.</p>
<p>@TopTier, I don’t think anyone is arguing that smoking reefer might be illegal wherever this student goes to school. I’m fairly certain that if it is, the OP is aware of that. What do you expect him to do? Turn himself in to the police? Let the college expel him to make up for whatever moral and legal lapse you think he made? He came here for advice on how to handle his school, not a lecture on his moral failings.</p>
<p>@austinmshauri: I strongly disagree. The OP came here for advice, some – but not all – of which relates to dealing with his university (anyone who goes to a public forum seeking advice must necessarily understand that the recommendations/commentary will be provided on the offerers’ terms, not on the requestor’s, because the providers are devoting their time, talents, experiences and expertise without compensation). Of greater importance, in the long run (and the OP very young and likely to live for many more decades) the ethical advice conveyed is almost certain to be far more important than any short-term, tactical suggestions concerning his suspension.</p>
<p>The OP attended a Catholic institution; frequently, they have more stringent behavioral standards than other universities. He certainly knew that and he also appreciated both the relevant regulations and the probable consequences of misbehavior. None of this was a surprise AND he should have carefully assessed the ramifications of illicit comportment BEFORE doing so. Therefore, what I “expect” (to us your term) from the OP is to accept his merited penalties, without complaint or retreat to legalities, and then potentially to work with the university to earn reinstatement.</p>
<p>I must be such a square. I’d never heard of “smoking blunt” in my life until this thread.</p>
<p>OP, I’d take some of the advice given here, including being completely remorseful with the school administration and being upfront about the steps you intend to take in order to improve your chances of success in college.</p>
<p>As to the atrial fibrillation: this is an uncommon disorder in young people. It can occur due to certain medical conditions or legitimate medications, but it can also be caused by drug abuse and excess alcohol consumption. You do not have to reveal what your docs told you about your heart condition, but if it was caused by substance abuse, this should be a huge wake up call, particularly for someone with his whole life ahead of him.</p>
<p>On the whole, I’d say you are lucky nothing worse came of the incident, and it seems as though you need to do what all adults have to do from time to time-do some serious introspection about your goals, your behavior, and your future.</p>
<p>If college security can act like police then any young person who suspects s/he violated a law should seek legal counsel before making a statement that could be used against him or her in court. Violating the law doesn’t mean a person gives up his rights. </p>
<p>It’s only been just over a week, I wouldn’t consider the OP necessarily gone.</p>
<p>What is unclear is why exactly the OP was dismissed. Violating the drug policy? Violating the alcohol policy? Does the OP have a right to a hearing?</p>
<p>Probably best to talk to the counseling center at the university, if they will let you.</p>
<p>PS - one problem I have seen with pot smokers is that when they stop, panic attacks can become an issue. My brother smoked for a few years, quit, and now has a pretty bad anxiety disorder that was never an issue before. He said pot made him calm, but being off it made him afraid even to drive. He won’t start smoking pot again because he also had other negative side effects, but the anxiety medicine is something he’ll have to take for the rest of his life.</p>
<p>I absolutely never suggested the OP did not retain such rights; of course he does. However, YOU asked (in #31), “What do you expect him to do?”.</p>
<p>As I responded in #32, I hope – and expect – that he will do what is in HIS (and, incidentally, in society’s) BEST LONG-TERM INTEREST. In this situation – he is young, this isn’t a terribly serious offense, and he may have some health and/or substance abuse problems – the OP can LEARN A GREAT DEAL THAT WILL FOREVER HELP HIM through handling this problem appropriately.</p>
<p>Further, he is a LOT more likely to internalize these CRITICAL lessons thoroughly, if he fully accepts responsibility, if he stoically deals with his deserved punishments, if he does not whine or complain, if he receives professional help as needed, and if he works with the university to EARN reinstatement. What the OP should NOT do is employ “legal gymnastics” to evade his clear (and self-admitted) accountability . . . not because he does not have the right to do so, but because is it almost certainly in HIS LONG-TERM DISINTEREST.</p>
<p>Potentially, this is a major learning opportunity for the OP: he can learn to be accountable, he can learn that poor (and illicit) decisions/actions have adverse consequences, and he can learn to deal with troubles by accepting responsibility and then moving forward. That strategy will unquestionably serve him best, for the remaining (probably 65+) years of his life. </p>