The Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents Tuesday voted unanimously to ban medical marijuana on campus.

“This is very similar to what other policies are on other campuses,” said EMU Vice President for Student Affairs Bernice Lindke. Several state universities, including the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, have similar bans.

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The university says that although the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act of 2008 permits marijuana use with a certified prescription, federal laws such as the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 and the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Amendment of 1989 prohibit the drug on campuses.

Because EMU receives federal funding, it is subject to the federal act, the school asserts.

“It’s a tough juxtaposition, but it’s really important for us to do what we need to do to comply,” EMU Executive Director of Wellbeing Ellen Gold said in an interview with AnnArbor.com “At the same time, we need to be sensitive to students’ needs.”

And while EMU won’t allow medical marijuana on campus, the university does plan to accommodate students with prescriptions in other ways.

The university will release a student from an on-campus housing contract if they have a prescription for medical marijuana. Additionally, the university will consider altering a student’s class schedule to allow “times when you can go off campus and use” medical marijuana, Gold said.

“The goal is to balance the student need with our requirements and to work with students,” Gold said.

Doug Ordway, owner of the Green Bee Collective, a medical marijuana dispensary in Ann Arbor, says he is disappointed by the ban.

“They’re dependent on federal funding and it’s hard for them to support medical marijuana without getting in trouble,” he said. “But I’d like them to, at the minimum, be neutral on it because they’re going contradictory to the will of the people in Michigan.”

Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.