Marijuana has become a collegiate achievement rather than the “controlled” substance that the government labels it as. While it has pertinent uses for medical illnesses, students have taken “pot” and made it a stereotype for college life.
Fresno City College is a rather large campus but there are hardly any areas you can walk by without hearing a discussion about pot taking place. Whether the story includes friends, a house and/or a car does not matter. At the forefront of the conversation is the amazing party that was attended where pot was the main event.
Not all students spend their time under the influence but if one considers the number of students that are, it can be a shock. Here in the United States, marijuana is illegal and a federal offense. In California, it is legal to possess an ounce of marijuana or under and not be in violation of the law. However, federal law will trump state law in any case.
There have been numerous debates on the legalization of marijuana and the arguments from both sides are valid. Legalizing marijuana could open a flood gate of acceptance towards drug use but it could also boost the economy if taxed and sold correctly. With any system, there will be flaws and abuse but legalizing it will end half of the battle.
Most marijuana users partake in the drug with such vigor simply because it is illegal whereas those with cancer or serious illnesses actually need it to function. Consider a cancer patient and their war with the demons inside their body. They need to be injected with pure poison in order to fight off the cancer which leaves them in pain, nauseated and weak.
With medical marijuana, they get their appetite back and pain relief. What do college students get from marijuana? They get the munchies and a completely feeling of relaxation. The issue is not with wanting to feel that way; the issue is with the abuse of the drug by those whom do not need it.
Many say that the way to stopping the abuse of the drug is already in effect. Medical marijuana cards prevent abuse don’t they? No, they don’t. As stated earlier, with any system, there are flaws and ways to circumvent the legal boundaries. Students can go to a doctor and say that they have migraines or another medically accepted reason for marijuana and receive it. If you have those problems and need marijuana to even things out, by all means find yourself some relief.
Lying for the sake of a high though, is far from worth it. Most students are working and if they aren’t, they are trying to find work. What will happen if a potential employer drug tests you after a long weekend of hot boxing and partying? You will fail the test and be barred from employment. There are certain tricks that people try to get around this such as drinking cranberry juice and water to flush their systems but marijuana can and will hide in certain tissues in the body.
Another effect that falls into play is school. You’re in college to get yourself an education. If you end up high more often than not, you’re wasting your education. You are wasting a valuable chance to get somewhere in life and be that doctor, nurse, painter, writer or teacher that you’ve always wanted to be.
Marijuana inspires lethargy that can make even the simplest of tasks seem like an oddysey in comparison to the same action completed while sober.
Students seem to think that it’s just a simple drug and that it won’t change their life in any way. This hope could not be farther from the truth. The feeling of carelessness is appealing during hard times but when push comes to shove, a sober mind is the best to have.
The abuse of marijuana adds a shameful tint to those that actually need it and have a prescription for it. They see the wreckless abandon with which the every day college student treats it and they feel that it is now a mere collegiate achievement.
Abandoning inhibition has been done through various generations but at a great cost. Marijuana has become mainstream and therefore lost its novelty.
Patients or students who use medicinal marijuana need not feel chastised for the actions of others. There is a reason for the use in those cases whereas the simple mission of getting high is over rated and pointless.
Marijuana has been prescribed for a number of reasons and if you find yourself not fitting into that category try to stray away from the habitual use of marijuana.
It has the capability of destroying passion and inspiring a loss of drive for the goals that were once at the forefront of the mind and heart.
Being a student should inspire a sense of purpose and direction in life and the use of marijuana can snuff out that fire in a heartbeat. Chasing that high, that feeling can become an obsession that is not easily dropped. Take a second to think and remember telling your parents what you wanted to be when you grew up and then make your decision.
At the risk of sounding clichéd, the advice from this piece is to get high from the excitement of your own life and opportunities and not a drug that you think makes you socially acceptable.