Lindsey Hogan and Sarah Force, Ferris State Torch
Ferris healthcare marketing freshman Lucas Zhao was found with 5 grams of marijuana wax and 7 grams of marijuana on campus.
“The worst thing that can happen with marijuana is getting caught by the police,” Zhao said.
Zhao and friends were smoking in his dorm a half hour before they were caught.
“Next thing you know, we all hear ‘bang bang bang’ and God knows who, it’s the police,” Zhao said.
According to Zhao, the police told him they received a complaint and had to search the room.
“I wasn’t going to fight with them,” Zhao said. “They came in the room and they found everything.”
Zhao spent three hours in jail that night and was released after paying his own $500 bond.
“It was pretty rough,” Zhao said.
Zhao said he is not smoking marijuana anymore.
The police charged Zhao with possession of marijuana, which is a misdemeanor in the state of Michigan.
Because Ferris receives federal financial aid, they have to abide by the federal law for prohibition of marijuana.
Along with the possibility of one year probation, Zhao is facing other social issues.
“The RAs don’t view me the same anymore,” Zhao said. “People see me as a bad kid, but I came out of high school as a 4.0 GPA and an AP student. I’m in an RSO, I do community service and I do the right things, but then marijuana gets on me and everyone just thinks I’m a bad kid, even though I’m obviously not.”
Along with legal consequences, Zhao was required to purchase the Marijuana 101 program through the Office of Student Conduct.