Last week one of Oakland’s prestigious private universities, Oaksterdam, was raided by federal officials. The federal raid seized many of their assets including plants, bank accounts, records and computers.
Oaksterdam was founded in 2007 and say that they are devoted to “the highest quality training for the cannabis industry.”
The raid caused the owner of of the school, Richard Lee, to give up ownership of the school. He remains an advocate for marijuana, stating, “I believe that cannabis prohibition is unjust and counterproductive.”
We think that raids like these stem from the Federal government’s belief that they have the right to shut dispensaries down, regardless of state law. We feel the rights of the owners of Oaksterdam were violated in this situation.
It’s unfair for the well–known university to be constantly fearful of being shut down, when many people rely on it for its contribution to the medical marijuana industry. The This is an independent business that should be getting a boost from the federal government in such a tough economy instead of being deemed unworthy of competing in our free market.
We worry that the raid could affect some members of the Mills community as well.
There are many students at Mills who rely on Medical marijuana. This raid could affect their supply and their health.
With this in the news, it brings to light the medical marijuana policy at Mills. Residential students who possess a prescription for medical marijuana are strongly encouraged to contact the Office for Services for Students with Disabilities and are only allowed to use edible products on campus. Students with medical marijuana prescription who choose to use smokable products must do so off-campus.
Some of us appreciate the administration limiting the amount of smoke on campus. Those of us who dislike smelling smoke agree that the ban keeps the campus more pleasant. But then there are those that use or sympathize with people who use marijuana medically.
With the policy only allowing edibles to be used on Mills College grounds, some of us think that this has negative health benefits for those who use it. Edibles are more potent than smoking and less convenient. Some people have dietary specifications that may not be able to eat edibles. They are usually sugary, baked goods that are unhealthy.
Policies on medical marijuana vary on a federal, state, and local level. Mills policies may cause students who use medical marijuana to feel similar to those who grow or produce medical marijuana in general. Californians who produce the drug have to think about the federal policies just like students who could normally smoke in California are restricted on campus. The policies are inconsistent at all levels and these disagreements need to be addressed.
