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Pot does not affect the academic performance of the students
By Hempology | April 19, 2008
Mon, 14 Apr 2008
Source: Los Angeles Loyolan (CA Edu)
Author: Jermaine Affonso
MARIJUANA REVISITED
Advocates and opponents of marijuana comment on its use at Loyola Marymount.
LMU’s Division of Student Affairs’ recently released newsletter, “Cannabis Conundrum,” showcases an increased level of drug use on campus, raising issues of social and cultural dimensions behind the use of marijuana.
The newsletter cites marijuana as one of the most used drugs on campus, analyzing its increasing consumption on campus and the reasons why a student would begin using marijuana.
Brother Anthony Smulders, who teaches Biology 355: The Physiology of Drugs, said marijuana usage stems from old tendencies that gradually become lifestyle choices.
“A lot of students have been using marijuana since they were young and they establish a habit that continues to college,” Smulders said. “In college a lot of their friends will begin using marijuana and the habit continues.”
According to Smulders, the typical marijuana user will not see their behavior as a problem.
“They see pot as a normal, acceptable thing and they don’t see it as causing problems,” Smulders said.
A student, whose identity is protected, claimed that boredom is the main reason he smokes marijuana.
“I [smoke] because I’m bored,” said the student. “I think the pamphlet seems to suggest that smoking leads to a lack of motivation. Frankly, I need to have more of a buffer between me and my classes, so if I go into English 110 or History 100 or any other bullst classes, I can handle my boredom.”
The student explained that he enjoys the challenge of the altered state of mind that marijuana gives him. “I tie one arm behind my back because I think it’s funny,” he said.
Another student who preferred to remain anonymous said she has not tried marijuana because she did not see the necessity to do so.
“I don’t smoke because I don’t need to,” the student said. “Look, I drink every now and again, but I would just rather stay away from drugs. I know some people like [marijuana], but I don’t need it; to each his own.”
The student continued to say that most students smoke marijuana because they do not fully understand the consequences of the drug.
“I don’t think it’s a big deal that they released the newsletter,” she said. “It just talks about the effects of [marijuana]. I don’t see why everyone’s making it such a big deal.”
The “Cannabis Conundrum” claims the short-term side effects of marijuana include “impairments in learning, memory, comprehension, concentration, intense anxiety, paranoia and immediate increased risk of heart attack.” The newsletter further states that in the long term, marijuana usage may also cause “psychosis, schizophrenia, and other mental, physical and social problems.”
Another anonymous student commenter feels like this newsletter is detrimental to the LMU community and provides an ultimately unfair outlook on the issue of marijuana.
“I think that ["Cannabis Conundrum"] is dangerous because it essentially makes marijuana a scapegoat,” the student said. “To say marijuana causes schizophrenia is ridiculous. It’s a latent psychological disorder and smoking more weed does not make you more likely to experience it.”
The student continued to argue that LMU’s drug policy conflicted with its alcohol policy.
“It makes no sense to me that a girl coming home from a party who throws up into a bush has nothing to worry about, while a kid sitting in his dorm with a bong and a towel under the door gets hunted down like a criminal,” he continued.
Smulders’ recounting of the side effects coincided with the pamphlet’s description, but he was sure to make a distinction between the types of marijuana.
“It depends on the amount of material smoked and the content and potency of the material,” Smulders said. “Typically [marijuana] starts speeding up the heart and irritates the lungs. The person’s time clock also becomes distorted.”
One of the anonymous students, however, claims that concerns over the biological consequences of marijuana ignore the emotional aspects of the substance.
“I know [smoking marijuana] messes up my lungs,” the student said. “To be honest, I would much rather live a shorter life than be angry and neurotic all the time. Recent studies have shown that stress is also negative for your health.”
Indeed, a 12-year scientific study funded by the National Institutes of Health in 2006 did show that people who live more than 100 years are also those who handle stress better.
“A lot of current students feel stress in college and it’s their way to relax,” Smulders said. “Students believe it’s an easier way to relax than alcohol.”
The “Cannabis Conundrum” pamphlet shows an increased level of marijuana-related judicial cases on campus between fall 2003 and fall 2007. The graph also shows a decreasing GPA trend between students found responsible in both school terms.
“I don’t feel like [the graph] is reflective of an increasing use of pot on campus; rather, I feel like it’s reflective of enforcement being increased,” Smulders said. “It’s a legal issue, so the University feels it has to implement the laws of California, so they go into people’s rooms and take away bongs and pot.”
Furthermore, Smulders emphasized that not all students who smoke marijuana experience academic problems.
“Some of the better, high performing students use pot,” he said.
Anonymous marijuana users say that while some people can handle the inclusion of marijuana in their lives, others are less likely to manage the lifestyle.
“Some studies seem to link [marijuana smoking] to a motivational syndrome,” said one student. “I believe in the power of self-determination. I feel like some people have the ability to make it part of their lives and others don’t.”
“The increases in the pamphlet seem to show a problem,” another student said. “I think there are a lot of dumb kids out there who smoke. The good thing is they weed themselves out naturally and the morons get busted. I am a superior smoker.”
In the event that a student feels she or a friend are experiencing marijuana-related problems, “Cannabis Conundrum” features an entire page devoted to ways of dealing with these problems and offers anonymous treatment provided by Student Psychological Services.
Smulders says, however, that marijuana treatment can come only after the acknowledgement of a problem.
“Student Psychological Services can guide a person through the habit, but the person needs to want to stop,” Smulders said. “If they don’t see it as a problem there is no way to treat it.”
Smulders’ own background has included previous experience in the field of marijuana.
“I have been involved in the decriminalizing of marijuana from the early days [1970s],” he said. “It used to be a felony and people caught with marijuana had to pay a $500 fine and were put in jail.”
When students found themselves in trouble, Smulders provided aid.
“I used to have money in my office to bail people out at $500 a pop,” he continued. “I do not advocate the legalization of pot, but I don’t think it should be criminalized.”
While acknowledging marijuana use on campus, Smulders felt that LMU had a much larger alcohol problem along with unavoidable issues with other drugs.
“Ecstasy is a serious problem, especially amongst girls,” he said.
In the end, the divisive issue of marijuana has allowed for numerous viewpoints to introspect on the influence of the substance on LMU’s campus. In regard to the issue of a marijuana problem on campus, Smulders reflected on the true meaning on the word “problem.”
“If by a problem you mean is marijuana illegal and students are using it on campus, then yes, we have a problem,” he said. “But if you ask if it is affecting the academic performance of the students, then I don’t think so.”
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