Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the United States, and its popularity is growing. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, of the 27 million Americans age 12 and older who in 2014 reported using illicit drugs within the previous month, 82% said they used marijuana of some form. Among college-age adults, marijuana use hit a 13-year high in 2014: 19.6% reported using it in the prior month.

 

The number of institutions of higher education (IHEs) that operate in states where marijuana use is now legal or decriminalized is expanding, and these changes are creating new challenges for campus safety officials at IHEs across the nation. To identify these challenges, the NCCPS facilitated an emerging issues forum on June 10, 2016 as part of our role to be a nationwide resource for  addressing critical issues in campus safety. Forum participants included campus safety executives from eleven IHEs in seven states. They identified and discussed specific challenges IHEs face related to marijuana legalization and decriminalization and grouped them into five categories: rapidly changing science, inconsistent data collection, resource constraints, outdated policies, and perception problems. Participants also discussed personnel management, training, and funding related to these challenges.

 

The group developed consensus on the following findings:

A full report of the discussion, including recommendations for addressing challenges, is available to download.

 

This resource is part two of a two-part series on educational facilities and intended to "promote coordination among federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government authorities and private sector security officials in deterring, preventing, and responding to terrorist attacks." The NCTC, DHS, and FBI encourage coordination between all stakeholders in advance of a terrorist incident so that specific vulnerabilities and gaps are identified and appropriate plans are developed.

 

If you would like a copy of this resource and are a member of a law enforcement, campus safety, or emergency management organization, you may request a copy. In your request, please provide your name, title, organization name, and a business phone number.

 

If you are not employed in a law enforcement, campus safety, or emergency management capacity and would like more information on deterring, preventing, and responding to terrorist attacks, we encourage you to consider membership in the InfraGard program. Operated by the FBI and dedicated to sharing information to prevent hostile acts against the United States, InfraGard involves a vetting process that, once successfully completed, may allow you access to future intelligence products.

Decision-Maker Survey

 

The National Weather Service (NWS) is conducting a survey that will gauge how decision-makers, such as campus emergency managers, use NWS watches, warnings and advisories, as well as assess the extent to which organizations have formally incorporated hazard messages into their decision-making processes via policies, protocols, laws, etc. For instance, the survey will ascertain if colleges/universities have a specific, written policy stipulating that a specific set of actions must or should be carried out if a NWS Blizzard Watch is issued.

 

This survey is part of the NWS Hazard Simplification Project, which is analyzing the use and effectiveness of NWS watches, warnings and advisories, and evaluating possible alternatives to these terms. Feedback will play an important role in the NWS decision-making process on how to improve hazard messages and will help the NWS understand the potential policy impact on various key partners if it significantly changes these messages.