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St. Cloud State University
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Survey spurs debate
By Natasha Warzecha
Published:
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Marijuana is a household name. Most people know what it is, many have tried it, and if they haven't, they probably know what it looks and smells like.
According to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse ,more than 83 million Americans ages 12 and older have tried this illicit drug at least once in their lives.
But what does the campus community really think about the drug?
"Of course I think it should be legalized. I would never say that it cannot be harmful though. It is a drug and like any drug it can be abused. But responsible marijuana users are not criminals. I am not a criminal," said Amie Stockholm, president of the SCSU chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
Stockholm believes that marijuana should be available to those who can medically benefit and also for religious purposes.
"Hemp should be legal and a booming industry," she said "And those of us who choose to use it recreationally should have the right."
Regardless of opinion, perception of marijuana use is larger than statistics show.
According to the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment conducted in March 2004, the reported differences of what SCSU students were smoking compared to what students perceived the student body to be smoking were alarming.
SCSU statistics reported 2.2 percent of students are habitual or daily users of marijuana. That is about 340 people attending the university.
However, the students who took the survey estimated that 24.9 percent of the campus population used the drug daily. Surveyed students believed 3,845 people on campus were high at some point everyday within 30 days before the survey was taken.
But it's not just SCSU.
Mankato State University's (MSU) statistics on reported use and reported perceived use were similar to SCSU's results.
About 3 percent of MSU's students used the drug daily while the campus body perceived 19.9 percent of students were daily users, said Wendy Schuh, Drug and Alcohol Coordinator for MSU.
Although both MSU and SCSU statistics were similar, Matt Lahr, who graduated from SCSU last December, believes the results in the survey are not an accurate illustration of campus drug use.
"That number is way too low. That's actually ridiculous," Lahr said.
Lahr completed research on habitual marijuana users compared with alcoholics through case studies during his time at the university.
"It is common sense. Anyone who lives in the real world knows it's (the statistics) way off," Lahr said. "From what I've seen in my life experiences and from the study I've done, it's way too low. I would like to see the sample population. I really question how they put the sample together."
According to Health Services the study was conducted by selecting random classrooms to take the survey. A sample of 943 people was surveyed in this analysis.
SCSU's Alcohol/Drug Awareness & Prevention Team Coordinator Lynette Sickler also believed that the number of students who replied honestly to the survey may have been skewed.
"I would guess they probably underreported. It just seems like I see a lot more people for marijuana use than alcohol," she said.
Sickler conducts assessments on students who have been caught with alcohol or drugs on campus. She said that her experience with having a large amount of marijuana user evaluations compared with assessments of alcohol users could be that it is mandatory for people to meet with her if they are caught with drugs whereas with alcohol it is not.
Some SCSU students believe that marijuana use is readily available within the campus population. Third-year philosophy major Michael Bauer said he almost never comes across anyone who hasn't at least tried the drug.
"It's pretty rare," Bauer said. "Especially by the time they get to college. Most people have at least experimented with it."
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