As of October 1, anyone over the age of 21 in Oregon can celebrate 4/20 legally, except for those in college.

Oregon’s Measure 91 was passed in November of 2014, which made it legal to regulate and tax marijuana the same way alcohol is.

Then in July of this year, the measure made it legal for people over the age of 21 to grow, posses, and privately use marijuana.

Now, people over 21 can legally buy limited amounts of weed from medical marijuana dispensaries, a safer and cleaner way of attaining the drug.

For those living on college campuses that are over 21-years-old however, nothing has changed.

Since colleges receive federal funding, and weed isn’t legal according to federal law, it’s illegal to possess, use or grow on a campus.

Seeing that it is against federal law, it makes sense that marijuana is still considered illegal in a place that gets money from the federal government even if the state government says it is legal.

If federal law were to change and make marijuana legal however, things would be different.

College students will still smoke marijuana even if it’s illegal and will continue to do so even though they are breaking college policy, just like those who drink underage drink and it’s a risk.

We are told from a very young age that drinking and doing drugs is bad, and when people are told not to do something, they do it anyway.

By making things like pot seem like something “dangerous” that could get them in trouble, it makes kids want to try it even more.

By making marijuana less taboo it takes away from the danger that’s been presented to kids by their parents and teachers and may make students less interested in the drug.

There are real dangers that come with marijuana because it has hallucinogenic properties and may cause bad trips for certain people. Also, the most common way to ingest marijuana is to smoke it, which can lead to lung complications later in life.

People also need to be aware of where the drug is coming from because it can be laced with other drugs. This should be less of a problem in Oregon because people over the age of 21 are able to get the drug legally.

If taken responsibly and in moderation, however, it is a safe drug to consume.

If the federal government were to adopt the same state laws regarding marijuana such as Oregon and Colorado, it would eliminate the amount of arrests that occur not only for college students, but people everywhere.

For now however, college students will have to keep hiding their weed and their bongs and wait for the day they can walk freely from their local dispensary back to school without being worried about getting a strike.