Marijuana

(Republican file photo)

Even if Massachusetts voters pass Question 4, which would legalize marijuana, officials say it still won't be allowed on college and university campuses.

Question 4 proposes a Cannabis Control Commission that would set up a regulatory structure for the taxation of commercial marijuana.

Because most colleges and universities receive federal funding, marijuana would still be barred from campuses because it is not legal under federal law. The requirement to follow federal law would surpass legalization in Massachusetts.

Matt McDonald, a spokesman for Northeastern University, told The Boston Globe that the use of marijuana violates the university's code of conduct.

Proponents say passing Question 4 would drive down the black market for marijuana, but opponents reject legalization because they see marijuana as a gateway drug.

The ballot question comes four years after Massachusetts voters approved medical marijuana and eight years after the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana.

Colleges similarly addressed marijuana use on campus after it was approved for medical use. The handbook for Worcester State University affirms that marijuana use, possession, or cultivation on campus is prohibited even though the state allows it for medical purposes.

UMass spokesman Jeff Cournoyer told The Globe that if the question passes, the university would widely communicate that the new state law does not allow marijuana on campus.

However, not every college has spoken on the issue. Boston College and Harvard University told the Globe it was too soon to take a position before ballots were cast.