Following a Connecticut law that legalized marijuana use and possession in the state of Connecticut last May, the Choate Student Council recently passed a proposal that aims to redefine the major school rules regarding drug use. Currently, the School has a zero tolerance approach to marijuana usage. Dean of Students Mr. Mike Velez ’00, said, “the decision to be a one-strike school was largely based on the health and safety of students and community members.” He added, “It’s been re-examined on several occasions, and a decision has been made to stick with the status quo, as ultimately, we realized it was aligned with the school values.”
The new proposal suggests removing first-time marijuana use or possession as an expulsion-level violation. It calls for the School to respond to marijuana offenses with the same procedure as alcohol offenses, such as suspension or probation and “No-Use” monitoring. “A big aim of this proposal is the opportunity for rehabilitation,” said Fifth Form President Ava Maha ’23, who sponsored the proposal. “Just because a student has a lapse of judgement or does not have a friend to Safe Haven them, their education should not be taken away. Instead, they should be given a chance to work with their parents, health center, and faculty to become substance free and a successful students.”
In 1984 an international cocaine smuggling scandal at Choate made national headlines and tarnished the School’s reputation. The school’s drug policy was tightened in response to the misconduct, and a zero tolerance agenda was established. The wording in the Choate student handbook changed from the 1983-84 edition to the 1984-85 edition, reflecting the School’s robust stance on the use of all drugs, including marijuana.
However, this past change raises questions about whether the School’s current policies are outdated, especially in regard to providing more physical and emotional support to offending students. The proposal intends to maintain consistency regarding substance use expectations and to advocate for second chance rehabilitation as an official administrative response to marijuana use.
Under Connecticut’s new marijuana legalization laws, a section deemed that, as of January 2022, the use, possession, and distribution of cannabis for students in public schools may no longer have harsher penalties than the same actions for alcohol.
In hopes of remaining consistent with state laws, the proposal calls for marijuana and edibles to be removed from the Handbook’s “Major School Rules Drug Section,” which states that any “possession or use of… illegal drugs (such as marijuana, edibles, cocaine, and steroids)…will lead to immediate dismissal.”
The proposal does not seek to change the rule regarding the distribution of marijuana or other controlled substances. Currently, the use of alcohol also places students who purchase, attempt to purchase, or use alcohol on suspension and/or probation and on No-Use monitoring. The No-Use monitoring plan gives students the support to work closely with their families, the health center, medical professionals, and faculty members for a chance to put an end to their substance abuse.
After passing unanimously in Student Council, the proposal will be discussed among form deans, senior administrators, and the Health Center for feedback. Although the proposal still has a long way to go and any sort of policy shifts won’t likely occur during this school year, Mr. Velez said, “I think having the student perspective will be beneficial. In a lot of ways, the proposal passed by the student council is a sort of feedback for us to consider as we are looking at this policy.”
