"The University takes distribution incredibly seriously," Woolfson said. "It is behavior that is just unacceptable among GW students at any level … and it will lead you to being suspended or expelled from the University. It's not something that we waver on. This type of violation, as it is so egregious, makes the decision to suspend or expel quite easy."
The Code of Student Conduct also defines distribution as the "sale, exchange or transfer" of drugs, Woolfson said.
Because the University's definition of distribution is broader than the D.C. criminal justice system's, many students found distributing drugs are not arrested by MPD but could be severly punished by the University. Referral to MPD is up to the UPD officer's discretion, UPD Chief Dolores Stafford said.
Stafford also said that SJS acts as a diversion program to punish student offenders without sending them into the court system.
"The criminal justice system has various diversion programs for various offenses and the student judicial system is a type of diversion program for minor offenses," Stafford wrote in an e-mail. "We meet regularly with various relevant offices in the city to discuss these matters."
Changing the Code
Organizations such as GW's chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) have called for a general reduction of all marijuana sanctions in the Code of Student Conduct.
"When caught, I would understand if (distributors) were punished more harshly than those using (marijuana) recreationally," said Greg Hersh, former president of GW NORML. "But at the same time I think our policy should be lighter because whatever avenue the school is using to get rid of pot from GW is not working."
Hersh, a senior, said the increased number of violations proves that the zero-tolerance policy toward marijuana is ineffective.
"If they're busting more then I'm assuming there are more" Hersh said. "That means there is more demand so that means it's proof that people are continuing to smoke pot even though (the number of) distributors is going down."
The Code of Student Conduct also defines distribution as the "sale, exchange or transfer" of drugs, Woolfson said.
Because the University's definition of distribution is broader than the D.C. criminal justice system's, many students found distributing drugs are not arrested by MPD but could be severly punished by the University. Referral to MPD is up to the UPD officer's discretion, UPD Chief Dolores Stafford said.
Stafford also said that SJS acts as a diversion program to punish student offenders without sending them into the court system.
"The criminal justice system has various diversion programs for various offenses and the student judicial system is a type of diversion program for minor offenses," Stafford wrote in an e-mail. "We meet regularly with various relevant offices in the city to discuss these matters."
Changing the Code
Organizations such as GW's chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) have called for a general reduction of all marijuana sanctions in the Code of Student Conduct.
"When caught, I would understand if (distributors) were punished more harshly than those using (marijuana) recreationally," said Greg Hersh, former president of GW NORML. "But at the same time I think our policy should be lighter because whatever avenue the school is using to get rid of pot from GW is not working."
Hersh, a senior, said the increased number of violations proves that the zero-tolerance policy toward marijuana is ineffective.
"If they're busting more then I'm assuming there are more" Hersh said. "That means there is more demand so that means it's proof that people are continuing to smoke pot even though (the number of) distributors is going down."
