SFU students will have to come to Burnaby if they want to smoke weed on campus.
With the legalization of recreational cannabis Wednesday, the university has set aside two temporary outdoor areas on its Burnaby Mountain campus for people to smoke up, according to an email sent to students recently.
No such spaces will be set aside at the Surrey and Vancouver campuses because they are in urban centres and covered my municipal smoking bylaws.
On Burnaby Mountain, students will be free to blaze at the intersection of Science Road and South Campus Road and in the campus residential area, between Shell House and McTaggart-Cowan Hall.
The areas have been kept separate from existing tobacco smoking spaces.
It’s unlikely SFU employees will be joining students in the pot-smoking areas on the mountain, however, since they are still expected to adhere to existing SFU policies and WorkSafeBC regulations that prohibit impairment in the workplace by alcohol, drugs, or other substances.
SFU is still reviewing its policies in light of the new legislation, according to a cannabis policy update emailed out by Tim Rahilly, SFU vice-provost and associate vice-president, students and international.
He said consultation on draft policies will take place with students, faculty and staff in the coming months.
In the meantime, he reminded students they were expected to adhere to SFU’s existing policies and procedures, including the code of academic integrity and good behaviour.
“Substance use always carries a risk, and I encourage you to consider what effect it can have on your health and studies,” Rahilly said in the email.
Students who need access to medical cannabis because of a chronic or disabling condition, meanwhile, are reminded to register with the centre for students with disabilities so appropriate accommodations can be made on a case-by-case basis.
