Friendly Referral Practice: Alcohol and Cannabis/THC

When a student’s personal use of alcohol or cannabis is inconsistent with University policies, the misconduct is addressed in accordance with student disciplinary procedures detailed in the Honor and Student Conduct Codes and Regulations. When an individual’s consumption of alcohol or cannabis results in illness or other health/safety emergency, students are encouraged to seek immediate help from Emergency Medical Services, Campus Safety and Security, Residential Experience staff, and/or other emergency agencies. To encourage students to act promptly when emergency aid is needed for a person who has consumed alcohol or cannabis, and to discourage delay due to concern about possible disciplinary ramifications of the alcohol/cannabis consumption, the Office of Community Expectations and Restorative Practices may address the consumption through implementation of this Friendly Referral Practice, rather than as a violation of the Student Conduct Code.

When the Friendly Referral Practice is implemented to address an alcohol- or cannabis-related incident, neither the student who requested emergency help nor the student whose consumption resulted in a medical emergency is issued disciplinary charges or outcomes as a result of their own personal possession or consumption of alcohol or cannabis related to the incident. (Other policy violations [e.g., property damage, providing alcohol or drugs to others, violence, obscene acts or abusive language] may be addressed through the student disciplinary process detailed in the Honor and Student Conduct Codes and Regulations.) Instead, the student for whom emergency aid was sought may be required to meet with a representative of the Office of Community Expectations and Restorative Practices (or designee) to discuss the incident, what was learned from it, and any substance-related education assigned to the student.

Students are encouraged to seek emergency help promptly for themselves and for others whenever needed. For a student needing emergency medical assistance as a result of alcohol or cannabis consumption, this Friendly Referral Practice is typically implemented only once during the student’s tenure at the University of Lynchburg. Subsequent incidents of alcohol or cannabis consumption that are inconsistent with University policies may be addressed through the student disciplinary process.