American colleges and universities around the country are facing lawsuits from students seeking to use medical marijuana on campus.
According to a report from the Detroit News, colleges and universities are facing a legal battle from students that have been prescribed medical marijuana. Students and their doctors believe that they should be able to use medical marijuana on campus. Universities, however, want to uphold their drug policies.
Sheida Assar, a student at GateWay Community College in Phoenix, Arizona, claims that she was expelled after testing positive for marijuana that she had been prescribed. Assar, who was prescribed marijuana to help with sleeping, claims that she has never been under the influence of the drug on campus.
“They yanked me out of class in the middle of the school day,” Assar said in a short comment. “They escorted me to the administration like I was a … criminal. It’s discrimination, and it also violates my rights under the Arizona medical marijuana law.”
A spokesperson for the school claims that they are in the process of reviewing their policies on marijuana in light of the new medical laws. However, the spokesperson said that they have no plans to change their drug policy. This doesn’t help Assar. Assar is now forced to sue the college to recover the costs of her tuition.
One Connecticut student was kicked out of required courses after it was revealed that she had tested positive for marijuana. She had been prescribed marijuana to treat undisclosed illnesses.
The student’s attorney, Michael That Allen, claims that universities are not equipped to handle the new laws that are designed to offer patients new avenues of care.
“Many schools disability services offices are not universally listened to by the university,” Allen said. “It just shows that these kinds of issues will become more common if employers and schools don’t abide by the law.”
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