Unfortunately or not, the use of marijuana is not reserved to weekend celebrations and freshmen excited by California’s lax drug policy. Its prevalence on our campus can be a surprising facet of life here to those new at Stanford, but that astonishment vanishes once the University’s stance on the drug is examined. Or rather, lack thereof; while Stanford holds official student policies on both tobacco smoke and alcohol consumption (as well as ceding to California state law on these and other controlled substances), it takes no such specific stance for marijuana usage. California has become somewhat infamous for its permissive stance on marijuana production and consumption. Thus, though the drug can no doubt be obtained through illegal means, all that’s really needed is a doctor’s recommendation for a treatable condition.
Interestingly enough, a side-effect has arisen as marijuana becomes more prominent at Stanford. As support for it rises, that for tobacco seems to be waning and a prejudice rapidly forming against it. Recently the Faculty Senate postponed voting on an all-campus smoking ban (tobacco only, recall), that would in essence push all forms of tobacco smoke to the other side of Campus Drive. The only spaces allowed for smoking would be designated outdoor areas and, interestingly enough, faculty/staff residential areas. Slight hypocrisy aside, the ban was designed to be a preventative measure against any sort of respiratory problems resulting from potential second-hand smoke.
http://stanfordreview.org/article/marijuana-at-stanford/