DS is 21 (college senior) living in a dorm at his school. Pot is legal in this state.
A few days ago, DS had his friend from high school visit him in the dorm. This friend smoked pot in his room (although DS claimed not to take a single huff from his friend – I believe him, as he smoked marijuana once in high school and called me to pick him up because of how bad he felt afterwards). Allegedly the whole hallway reeked of weed afterwards.
His RA (questionable to have RAs for someone who is almost 22, but okay) reported his room because of the intense smell. Campus Security came to his room after both DS and his high school friend had left the room, and found no drugs.
What does your housing contract say? That should outline what happens if drug use is suspected as well as what the penalties are. Or has the RA already spoken with him about this (since he knows that security searched the room and didn’t find anything, it sounds like the RA or someone has spoken with him)?
The issue is likely not smoking pot - it’s smoking anything in the room period, which I am confident is a violation of the residence agreement. I highly doubt there are any major repercussions other than a possible fine, which would be both warranted and deserved.
And one of my kids dorms had a fire when a kid was using a deep fryer in his room.
There are hundreds of kids going to sleep every night in a dormitory. There RA is there to make sure kids don’t do dumb things. Like fall asleep with a lit cigarette (regardless of what’s inside).
They found nothing. No way to prove it was his room. Even if they could, it’s legal so it’s basically like burning a candle. Nothing major to worry about, hope they learned from this.
Encourage your son & friend to watch the 1936 movie Reefer Madness; then have them watch the 2005 musical version. Hopefully, this will solve the problem.
If not, then stress the fire code violation aspect of smoking indoors.
I don’t think that there will be academic consequences. Probably the worst that will happen is a warning from housing. He should not admit to anything.
Good learning experience, that letting a guest do something that violates your lease puts your housing in danger.
So your son is as much in fault as the kid since he was in the room at the same time. Did he tell the kid to put it out? But look. It’s college and a great learning lesson. Sneaking in some beer or drink… Maybe, lol, but never light anything inside a dorm room.
Also first offense probably not a big deal. It’s not the schools first time this happened either. If he’s stressed have him talk to the RA. The school can’t come down on every kid when this happens and probably happens more often then you know.
My kids both attend schools in states where pot is legal for 21+ and they wish the RAs would do anything - seems to be ignored in their opinion or just warnings to smoke outside. Signs on the dorm bulletin board at one school just says take it outside.
One child and her roommate roll up a towel and put along the bottom of the door to keep the smell from coming in their room - the hallway reeks often. Our other child told us they never open their window, as pot smell comes in from outside, as the area outside her on campus housing is a gathering spot. It is the smell they find annoying vs the action of fellow students.
One kid at an Ivy and one at a LAC - reality of college, invention of vapes and the RA culture at both schools to avoid confrontation. (RA strikes in the past and still wage issues)
I can’t imagine serious consequences at a school where it is legal and student is of age. Not saying right or wrong - but I am saying it is rude due to the nasty smell.
They don’t want the smell in their rooms and it stinks.
Not to sound rude, but he’s a 21 year old man. If he didn’t know that someone else smoking pot in his dorm was not allowed (“I swear mom, it wasn’t me” - every single college kid since 1921), perhaps a small slap on the wrist will help him mature.
The first week that my son went to college, they were pre-gaming before a party. He doesn’t drink (really), but was in the room. The RAs couldn’t go into rooms with closed doors, but the moment someone opened the door to go to the bathroom, the RA was there to write them up. All students had to meet with someone higher up in housing. They were all given warnings and came out of it scared enough to pre-game elsewhere. Each person relayed that my son wasn’t drinking. He was upset but also received “the talk.” It is a good thing, they all needed to know that rules are there for a reason and are enforced.
A lot depends on where you go to school. At some places this is a fire code issue. But if you’re at a deeply conservative Christian college that maintains a dry campus and a strict no-drugs rule, it’s a different issue.
It’s not illegal to have someone of the opposite sex in your room. But some schools forbid that, and you could get in trouble for violating that if it’s a rule.