Toking up, getting high, smoking the reefer: many students on Tufts' campus could list half a dozen euphemisms for smoking marijuana. They may be less familiar, however, with the risks associated with marijuana use.
"People get drunk and smash cars and start fights in the street," senior Sara Brauner said. "People get stoned, eat a bag of Cheetos, and pass out on the couch. I don't really see the harm in that."
Many members of the medical community disagree. A study released this month by British doctors connects marijuana use with increased rates of depression, psychosis and schizophrenia. The rising rates correspond with "acceptance of the drug and greater availability of stronger forms of it," according to the Royal College of General Practitioners.
Doctors who participated in this study blame liberal pro-legalization groups for distracting citizens from the health threats of marijuana.
"There is clear evidence that high levels of use, especially among teenagers who are physically and mentally still developing, carries with it the increased risk of psychosis and respiratory conditions such as asthma," said Dr. Clare Gerada of the College's Drug Misuse Unit.
Director of Tufts Health Services Margaret Higham believes marijuana use on the Tufts campus to be prevalent. Frequently though, marijuana abuse is only addressed in conjunction with alcohol abuse cases. She believes these cases reflect a much "lower frequency than most likely occurs."
"It hasn't been targeted as a specific intervention [at Health Services]," Higham said, "Not as much as alcohol."
Higham stresses, however, the help that Health Services can provide. "We are happy to see students who feel they have a problem with it, and we do have resources here to help them with it."
"I think because Tufts is a relatively dry campus, and because the alcohol policies are so tight, more students start smoking because there's just nothing else to do," sophomore Ethel Cohen said. "As someone underage, it's actually become much easier to get weed than alcohol."
As a result of parties being broken up by 1 a.m., and having to pay fines for confiscated kegs, some Tufts students have begun to turn to marijuana as an alternative party option.
According to senior Bryan Conti, who does not smoke marijuana, "Some kids just use [marijuana] as an alternative to drinking."
Many organizations dedicated to the pursuit of legalizing marijuana and advocating the environmental benefits of the hemp plant would agree with students like Conti. For the 2003 Global March for Cannabis Liberation over 200 simultaneous marches took place around the country in an effort to legalize marijuana. Some protestors were glaucoma patients who use marijuana for medicinal purposes, while others were recreational users.
"Marijuana can really only get you into so much trouble," senior Jim Kubisch said. "Aside from dramatic television commercials, you rarely hear about murders, crimes and tragedies associated with marijuana use - well, tragedies short of sleeping though your 10:30 am classes and eating your entire food budget in one night."
Senior Valerie Wood agreed. "Why do you think Espressos' phone starts ringing off the hook at 11?" she said. "Pot smoking stimulates local business."
Brauner agreed with many students' perceptions of the hazards of smoking marijuana. "They have a 'drunk tank' in jails for belligerent drunk people - no one's ever heard of a 'stoner tank' to house rowdy potheads," she said. "I mean, that's almost an oxymoron."
Despite what students may believe, marijuana can be harmful. According to the New York Times, 10 to 14 percent of the population is prone to pot addiction.
There are also adverse side effects related to marijuana use. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that short-term effects include dry mouth and/or throat, problems with memory and learning, distorted perception of sights, sounds, time and touch, trouble with thinking and problem-solving, loss of motor coordination, increased heart rate and anxiety. These effects are heightened when other drugs are mixed with marijuana.
Some studies even indicate that persons under the influence of marijuana show the same lack of coordination on standard "drunk driver" tests as do people who have had too much to drink, disputing a commonly-held believe that driving high is not as serious as driving drunk.
Long-term effects can include cancer. "Marijuana smoke contains some of the same cancer-causing compounds as tobacco, sometimes in higher
concentrations. Someone who smokes one to three joints can produce the same lung damage and potential cancer risk as smoking five times as many cigarettes," according to the Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
What some might find most alarming is a statistic released this month by the British Medical Journal that smoking cannabis once or twice a week almost doubles one's risk of developing psychotic symptoms.
The Tufts policy towards possession of marijuana is stringent. According to the Public Safety Annual Publication, any student caught in possession of illicit drugs - even if he or she no longer lives on campus - may be subject to any of the disciplinary action including a warning, probation, suspension, dismissal, and/or referral to appropriate governmental authorities for civil and criminal prosecution. The University may also require completion of a rehabilitation program in connection with a disciplinary matter.
In addition, federal law states that penalties for those who are over 18 and distribute drugs to people under 21 within 1,000 feet of a college will receive a mandatory one-year prison sentence.
Such harsh penalties don't seem to affect the drug's prevalence on campus though. "Maybe pot is a problem on campus, because if you asked me to get you a bag, I could most likely do it within the hour," one anonymous junior said. "I can't say that about any other drug at Tufts."
