- NMU Policies and Requirements

2025 Drug-Free Schools Student Notification Letter

NMU Substance Abuse Committee
Contact Person: Mike Bath, Chief, NMU Police Department (906) 227-2151 psps@nmu.edu.

Drug-Free Schools Student Notification Letter - emailed, 9/11/2025

NMU Students, 

This is your student notification of how Northern Michigan University complies with the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Amendments of 1989. The information provided at the end of this email and the Web page found at  https://nmu.edu/policedepartment/alcohol-and-other-drugs-information-guide

NMU’s expectations and procedures for faculty, staff and students. The document includes:
* Standards of conduct for students and employees
* A description of associated university, state and federal sanctions
* A description of associated health risks
* A description of available services and treatment

Many students, faculty and staff have worked together over the years to prevent substance abuse at Northern Michigan University. We think our efforts have contributed to a healthy living-learning community and have assisted individuals in need. If you have questions or have ways you’d like to participate in helping the university further improve these efforts, please let us know.

Thank you,

NMU Substance Abuse Committee
Contact Person: Mike Bath, Chief, NMU Police Department (906) 227-2151 psps@nmu.edu.

This document complies with the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Amendments of 1989.  Northern Michigan University has adopted and implemented a program to prevent the unlawful possession, use or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students and employees. 

The program includes annual distribution in writing to each employee and to each enrolled student of:
* Standards of conduct for students and employees
* A description of associated university, state and federal sanctions
* A description of associated health risks
* A description of available services and treatment

Alcohol and other drug issues have received much attention nationally and locally.  Many students, faculty and staff have worked together over the years to prevent substance abuse at Northern Michigan University. We think our efforts have contributed to a healthy living-learning environment and have assisted individuals in need.

Northern Michigan University is committed to preventing substance abuse by:
* Encouraging a campus environment where healthful lifestyle choices are made by students, faculty and staff
* Expecting acceptance of responsibility for one’s own choices and behavior
* Striving to balance the rights of individuals and those of the university community
* Encouraging chemical-free activities and supporting those who choose to use alcohol and other drugs
* Enforcing university, local and state codes, ordinances and statutes, which govern alcohol and other drug use

NMU Standards of Conduct

Students of Northern Michigan University 

The Northern Michigan University Student Handbook prohibits the use, possession, sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages by students in any building or on any property owned or controlled by NMU (except under terms and conditions established by the president or designee) and states that no student shall illegally possess, use or have under his/her control, manufacture or distribute any other controlled substance in any building or on property owned or controlled by the University.

Failure to abide by these regulations may lead to any of the following university sanctions: 
* Warning probation
* Disciplinary probation
* Suspension
* Expulsion 

Special conditions may be attached to the sanction including, but not limited to, parental notification of the violation and mandatory participation in an alcohol or other drug education program.

Potential Legal Consequences

Violations of laws and ordinances relating to drugs and alcohol also may result in misdemeanor or felony convictions accompanied by the imposition of legal sanctions, which include, but are not limited to, the following:
* Fines as determined under local, state, or federal laws
* Imprisonment, including up to life imprisonment, for possession or trafficking in drugs such as heroin and cocaine
* Forfeiture of personal and real property
* Loss of driving privileges
* Required attendance at substance abuse education or treatment programs

State Alcohol Sanctions – Under Michigan law, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to purchase, consume or possess, or have any bodily content of alcohol. The following summarizes some of the potential legal consequences for violating state law.
* A first-time conviction may result in a fine, substance abuse education and treatment, community service and court-ordered drug screening
* There also is a provision for possible imprisonment or probation for a second or subsequent offense
* The use of false identification by minors in obtaining alcohol is punishable with a fine, loss of driver's license, probation and community service
* Individuals can be arrested and/or convicted of operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level at .08 or higher. If a student is under 21, there is a "zero tolerance" law in the state of Michigan, and any blood alcohol level of .01 or higher can lead to a minor in possession (MIP) citation as well as being cited for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, if applicable. This is in addition to suspension of driving privileges in the
state of Michigan
* In Michigan, knowingly allowing someone to drive while intoxicated is a crime and can result in significant penalties, including: Fines and costs: A fine of $100–$500, plus costs, Jail time: Up to 93 days in jail for a first offense, Probation: Up to two years of probation for a first offense, Prison: Up to two years in prison for serious injury, and up to five years in prison for death 

The Michigan Compassionate Care Initiative passed in 2008 and the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act passed in 2018 legalized medical and recreational marijuana respectively in Michigan. These laws allowed the legal sale of marijuana to qualifying patients and adult residents. However, this legislation conflicts with federal criminal laws governing controlled substances, as well as federal laws requiring institutions receiving federal funds, by
grant or contract, to maintain drug-free campuses and workplaces. The College receives federal funding that would be in jeopardy if those federal laws did not take precedence over state law.

Thus, the on-campus use, possession or cultivation of marijuana in any form and for any purpose constitutes a violation of the Board of Trustees’ Drug and Alcohol Abuse Free College Policy and student code of conduct.

Federal Drug Sanctions - A full description of Federal sanctions for drug felonies
Prescription drugs and OTC medication. Any person taking prescription drugs or over-the- counter (OTC) medication is personally responsible for ensuring that while taking such drugs or medications, he or she is not a safety risk to themselves and others while on university property, while driving a university or privately-owned vehicle, or while otherwise engaged in university business. It is illegal to misuse prescription medication, i.e. continue to use medication when the prescription is no longer valid, use prescribed drugs contrary to the prescription, and give or sell prescribed drugs to another person. Misusing prescription drugs can result in conviction with jail time.

Health Risks Associated with Alcohol and Other Drug Use 

Regular use of alcohol and other drugs (including marijuana, stimulants, depressants, cocaine, anabolic steroids, opiates, hallucinogens) may lead to:
* Psychological and or physical dependence
* Impaired learning ability, memory, and ability to solve complex problems
* Inability to perform sexually and infertility problems
* Increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases (including aids)
* Complications due to the combination of prescription medication and other drugs and alcohol
* Death, coma, or toxic reactions, especially when combining alcohol with any other drug, including over the counter medicine or prescriptions
* Guilt or regret over activities performed while under the influence of alcohol or drugs i.e. regretting sexual encounters, fighting, risk-taking, legal difficulties
* Organic damage to the brain, cardiovascular system, liver etc.
* Psychosis (hallucinations, loss of contact with reality, extreme changes in personality)
* Other physiological psychological, or interpersonal problems

Substance Abuse Resources

On Campus Services

NMU Health Center
WellBeing Center located near The Woods residential area and Northern Lights Dining Facility.
Lot #15 off of Lincoln Ave.
(906)-227-2355

NMU Counseling and Consultation Services
Well Being Center located near The Woods residential area and Northern Lights Dining Facility.
Lot #15 off of Lincoln Ave.
(906)-227-2980

Marquette Area Services

Alcoholic Treatment Center (24-hour helpline)
(800)-260-4014
Alcoholics Anonymous
(906)-249-4430
(800)-605-5043
http://www.aa-marquettecounty.org

Drug Abuse Treatment Center (24-hour helpline)
(800)-259-7115

UP Health System – Marquette
Behavioral Health – Outpatient Services
1400 W. Washington St
Marquette, MI 49855
(906)- 449-1600
https://www.uphealthsystem.com/

Great Lakes Recovery Centers
Outpatient Services
1009 W. Ridge Street, Suite C
Marquette, MI  49855
(906)-228-9696 or (855) 906-GLRC (4572)
https://www.greatlakesrecovery.org/

Great Lakes Recovery Centers
Youth Residential Services
104 Malton Road
Negaunee, MI 49866
(906)-228-4692
https://www.greatlakesrecovery.org/adolescent-services-center/

Michael J. Bath, Chief of Police
Northern Michigan University Police Department
1401 Presque Isle Ave. Marquette, MI 49855
Phone:  (906) 227-2757
Fax:  (906) 227-2173