Cannabis in Tempe & on the ASU Campus

Last verified: April 2026

The City and the University

Tempe (~180,000) hosts a significant cluster of dispensaries because of its commercial corridors and adjacent Guadalupe (a Yaqui community town within Tempe’s borders). Arizona State University’s Tempe campus enrolls more than 60,000 students and anchors the city’s economy and culture.

Arizona State University — The Largest U.S. Public University

ASU is the largest public university in the United States by enrollment (over 145,000 students across all campuses). ASU receives substantial federal funding — research grants, student financial aid, defense contracts — and is bound by the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (DFSCA, 1989), which conditions federal aid on maintaining a drug-free campus.

ASU’s policy

ASU’s Student Code of Conduct prohibits cannabis (medical or recreational) on all campuses, in residence halls, and at university events. As ASU’s student newspaper The Arizona State Press reported, the university’s policy holds even though the Arizona Supreme Court ruled in May 2018 (State v. Maestas) that students cannot be criminally prosecuted for medical marijuana possession on campus. ASU may still impose academic discipline (suspension, expulsion) and lose federal funding if it does not enforce. Per ASU media relations: "Keep in mind that our policy is the same as most other public universities."

The 18–21 age gap

Arizona’s adult-use age is 21, but its medical marijuana program age is 18. Many ASU students are 18–20 and may legally hold an Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (AMMA) card with a qualifying physician’s certification. Tempe PD and ASU PD will not honor an AMMA card for protection against ASU disciplinary action; on-campus possession of any cannabis remains an ASU code-of-conduct violation. Off-campus possession by a 19-year-old AMMA cardholder is legal, but possession by a 19-year-old without an AMMA card is a petty offense (under 1 oz: $100 fine first time; second offense petty; third offense Class 1 misdemeanor).

ASU Police

ASU PD is a sworn law enforcement agency with primary jurisdiction on ASU campuses. ASU PD enforces state criminal law and university policy. In practice, on-campus cannabis cases are typically resolved administratively (Dean of Students, residence hall conduct review) rather than criminally, but ASU PD retains the ability to refer cases to Tempe PD or Maricopa County Attorney.

Tempe Dispensaries

Tempe hosts a significant cluster of dispensaries because of its commercial corridors. Notable operators:

• The Mint Cannabis flagship Tempe (12,000+ sq ft on Baseline & Priest, with the nation’s first cannabis kitchen launched in 2018 and 24-hour operations)
• Sunday Goods Tempe (723 N. Scottsdale Rd., open 8 AM–midnight)
• Trulieve Tempe
• Trulieve Guadalupe
• Sol Flower Tempe (1322 N. Scottsdale Rd.)
• Curaleaf Tempe
• Cannabist Tempe (Verano)
• Local Joint Tempe (4201 E. University Dr.)

Mill Avenue Cannabis Culture

Mill Avenue is the ASU-adjacent bar and entertainment strip running through downtown Tempe. While public consumption remains illegal, the cannabis scene around Mill Avenue is socially visible — pre-rolls and vapes visible at apartments above storefronts, dispensary marketing on bus stops, and ASU-affiliated cannabis education clubs (Students for Sensible Drug Policy West).

Tempe Town Lake (the artificial lake along the Salt River bed) is a public park; smoking, vaping, or consumption there is explicitly illegal under the Smoke-Free Arizona Act and Tempe parks rules.

Tempe Police Department

Tempe PD operates similarly to Phoenix and Scottsdale — state-law-driven, with extra DUI/impaired-driving emphasis around Mill Avenue, ASU football and basketball games, and Tempe Town Lake events (Ironman, Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon). Driving while impaired by cannabis is a high-priority enforcement target, especially after game days and during major events.

Practical Advice for ASU Students

• If you live on campus: any possession is a code-of-conduct violation. AMMA card does not protect you. Possible consequences include housing termination, suspension, expulsion, and loss of federal financial aid.
• If you live off-campus: 21+ adult-use possession (1 oz) is legal under state law in your private residence. Public consumption (sidewalks, parks, Tempe Town Lake, Mill Avenue) remains illegal.
• If you’re under 21: get an AMMA card with a qualifying physician (allowed at 18). This makes off-campus possession legal but does not protect against ASU discipline on-campus or against parents informing campus housing of off-campus violations.
• If you’re a federal scholarship or aid recipient: a campus cannabis violation that results in federal-aid loss can be financially catastrophic. Treat ASU compliance as more important than state-law compliance.