Alcohol and Other Drugs
Updated December 18, 2025
Caltech Student Affairs Alcohol and Other Drug Policy and Enforcement Processes for Undergraduates (2025-2026)
The Caltech community, guided by the Honor Code, is founded on trust, respect, and responsibility. These principles apply to all aspects of Caltech life, including alcohol and substance use and abuse.
Institute Responsibilities: Legal and Educational
The Institute has a responsibility to follow state laws governing substance use and underage drinking, and the federal mandate set forth in the Drug‐Free Schools and Communities Act Amendments of 1989. The Institute's alcoholic beverage policy is consistent with the laws of the state of California that prohibit the consumption and serving of alcoholic beverages by and to persons under 21 years of age.
While recreational cannabis is legal in California for adults over the age of 21, marijuana is still a controlled substance under federal law. Therefore, the use, manufacture, distribution, cultivation, dispensation, possession, sale, purchase of or offer to sell or purchase marijuana on the Caltech campus or its offsite locations, including JPL, or as any part of its activities, continues to be prohibited. Students may not possess, distribute, or use cannabis or cannabis-infused products (including edibles, vaporized oil, wax, or other products containing THC) on campus.
The Institute provides educational programs and information on alcohol and drug abuse as well as counseling services related to alcohol and other drug use. Students may seek counseling and treatment options directly through Counseling Services. Intervention, either in the form of in-person assessment, or via Alcohol.Edu, may also be initiated by a referral after policy violation(s) or medical transport, or by recommendation for high‐risk users identified through screening at primary healthcare appointments. Substance use assessments follow a BASICS-informed philosophy—individualized feedback, student-centered goals, and targeted support for students considering behavior change. While Caltech SWS does not provide the BASICS program onsite, this collaborative, non-judgmental approach guides providers both in our initial clinical consultations and in the referrals SWS makes to community partners who offer the full intervention.
Undergraduate Student Responsibilities: Self-Awareness, Safety, Community and Cooperation
Students are responsible for following the Caltech Substance Abuse Policy and for knowing and abiding by both California law and Institute regulations regarding the consumption and possession of alcohol and other drugs. Students are expected and encouraged to be aware of the social, physiological, and psychological consequences and personal risks of excessive drinking or combining alcohol and other drugs, and to actively seek out information and help when needed.
The Institute respects the right to privacy, and its representatives will not enter residential rooms without substantive cause (e.g., without reasonable suspicion that policies or regulations have been violated, or that someone's safety is in jeopardy). Undergraduate students living in Caltech housing are required to cooperate with Institute administrators and officials--including, but not limited to Campus Security staff, RLCs, RAs, and other Institute staff--when they are investigating or responding to a reported disturbance, policy violation, safety or security concern in Caltech on-campus housing, and must comply with their reasonable instructions. Mistreatment of staff members, including verbal harassment or threatening behavior, constitutes a violation of Caltech policy and the Honor Code. Students have a responsibility to respect all members of the community as they carry out their professional responsibilities, including inquiries related to alcohol and other drug use.
Instructions that students must follow include opening the door to the student's residence and displaying a valid Caltech ID—and/or allowing a picture of it to be taken--when requested to do so. Alcohol and/or other drugs may be confiscated if in a common area, or in the possession of a minor under the age of 21.
Students who are 21 and over may store and responsibly consume alcohol in their own private bedroom; if they share that space with students who are not yet 21, they may not share the alcohol with them. Security and residential life staff will intervene if they have reason to believe this is occurring. Similarly, students may store and consume alcohol in the living room of a suite (e.g., Bechtel, Marks/Braun) if all occupants of that suite are 21 and over.
Finally, according to Caltech's Good Samaritan Policy, it is the immediate obligation of those in the presence of a severely intoxicated person to seek help in the form of medical assistance. Alcohol poisoning and/or mixing alcohol with other drugs is extremely serious and can be fatal. No student's life should be in jeopardy because of substance use. Alcohol intoxication requiring medical attention is considered a health issue, therefore, the primary Institute response is focused on preserving health and safety. Ordinarily, disciplinary action will occur only if other circumstances indicating a violation of Institute policy exist. In such an instance, failure to call for assistance will be considered an especially serious violation of policy.
It is against Student Affairs' Policies:
- To use, possess, cultivate, manufacture, sell, or transfer illegal drugs (including marijuana), or illegally use other drugs or prescriptions
- For any person under the age of 21 to consume, purchase, or possess alcohol
- To provide any alcohol to a person under the age of 21
- To provide any alcohol to an obviously intoxicated person
- To be under the influence of alcohol in a public place and unable to exercise care for one's own safety or that of others
- To sell alcoholic beverages, except under the authority of a California Alcoholic Beverage Control License.
- To operate equipment or vehicles, or work in experimental labs after consuming alcohol or drugs
- To use or possess a false ID in order to obtain alcohol.
- To fail to call for help for an extremely intoxicated person.
Students living in Caltech housing should remember that it is a violation of the Resident Guide and Housing Policies:
- To participate in drinking games, including "water pong"
- To have an accessible shared supply of alcohol (kegs, punch bowls, etc.), or store alcohol in any common area
- To consume any kind of alcohol in public or common areas, including courtyards, walkways, green spaces, house lounges, and dining halls, regardless of age—unless the event is registered with the Office of Student and Family Engagement.
Event Registration:
All events with alcohol service--whether they are hosted on or off campus—require participants to register and abide by Student Affairs and Institute policy. Registration requirements are noted at: https://spa.caltech.edu/.
Education and Support:
Caltech's primary goal in addressing AOD incidents is to direct students to appropriate resources, and to help prevent potentially dangerous and/or disruptive situations from being created or escalating. In general, first and second instance violations of the policy will result in a meeting with an RLC, educational sanctions, formal warnings and possible referrals for AOD screening; third violations will likely result in a meeting with an undergraduate Dean.
A particularly egregious offense at any stage, or more than three violations despite the interventions outlined above, can result in a referral to the appropriate disciplinary body. In keeping with the Institute's particular concern about high-risk alcohol and drug use, disciplinary consequences for ongoing or severe violations of the alcohol policy will reflect the level of risk represented by the behavior as well as the impact of the behavior upon the community. The undergraduate Deans may also notify a student's guardians following any significant incident of drug/alcohol-related misconduct.