Tewksbury High Students Cited For Marijuana Possession

Four Tewksbury High students were hit with $100 civil citations after being found to be in possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The students' names were not released because they were not charged with a crime. According to Massachusetts law, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana is not considered a criminal offense but is subject to a civil fine.

The drugs were found during a surprise K-9 drug search at the school on Tuesday, Feb. 12.

According to information provided by the Tewksbury Police Department the search was conducted at around 9 a.m. with Tewksbury’s K-9 Unit and 10 other K-9 Units from several other local communities (Billerica PD, Burlington PD, Concord PD, Melrose PD, Wakefield PD, Weymouth PD, and Middlesex Sheriff’s Department).

Working with the cooperation of high school officials, the officers and K-9 units searched inside the school as well as outside in the parking lot area.

"As a result of this search, officers identified four students ... who were in possession of small amounts of a green leafy substance which officers believed to be marijuana," Tewksbury Police Chief Timothy Sheehan said in a statement.

According to Sheehan, three of the students were found to have marijuana in their vehicles, while the other had the drug in their book bag. The $100 fine was the strongest action police could take against the students under the law.

In a letter sent home to Tewksbury High parents, Sheehan, Superintendent of Schools Dr. John O'Connor and Principal Brenda Regan said the goal of the search is to send a strong message of "zero tolerance" to students who bring drugs onto school grounds.

The letter went on to say that there would be additional, unannounced, searches during this school year. O'Connor declined to say if the students fined also faced disciplinary action from the school. MIAA regulations state that any high school athletes found to be in possession of drugs or alcohol on school grounds are subject to a two-week suspension from competition.

A copy of the letter sent home to parents is attached to this story as a PDF document.