Most students at UCD using 'pot' survey
By Martha Kearns

A majority of students in University College Dublin have smoked cannabis
and almost half of first years have tried the drug, according to a new poll.

Overall 55pc of students said they had smoked hash at least once 7pc of
those smoked daily and one in ten smoked once a month.

The majority of those said they took the illegal drug "now and then" while
only 16pc said they had only taken it once.

These new figures are more conservative than a survey which was conducted
in the college late last year when 70pc said they had taken cannabis.

In the latest poll, which was carried out by UCD's student paper 'The
University Observer', 46pc said they were in favour of the drug being
decriminalised.

However, 41pc believed that the use of cannabis led to the use of other
harder drugs, 36pc said it did not and the rest were unsure.

The survey was of 152 anonymous students 76 of each sex in various
locations in the Belfield campus in Fresher's Week.

This survey comes just days after the announcement by the Union of Students
in Ireland that it would be carrying out the first national survey of drug
use and abuse in third level colleges.

Meanwhile a number of lecturers in UCD have admitted they are in favour of
the legalisation of cannabis including biochemistry lecturer Dr Geraldine
Butler.

She said: "It should be legalised and definitely should be made available
for medical purpose."

Professor Brendan Walsh from the Economics department said that it would
not make any difference whether it was legalised or not as the law was not
presently being enforced.

Some results of the survey:

Have you ever smoked cannabis?

Freshers: Yes: 47pc No: 53pc
NonFreshers: Yes: 60pc No: 40pc
Overall: Yes: 55pc No: 45pc

If yes, how often do you smoke?

Once: 7pc
Daily: 7pc
Once a week: 16pc
Once a month: 16pc
Now and again: 60pc