LIGHT AND SMOKE: HIGHER EDUCATION?

Whether for pleasure, for perspective, or for problems, Yalies are
hitting the bong.

Marijuana made its first public appearance at Yale-that is, people
knew that some others were smoking-when I was a freshman in Farnham
Hall, the fall of 1965," explains Jim Sleeper, DC '69, a lecturer in
the Political Science department. "One or two guys were smoking it. I
smelled it for the first time then in my entryway once or twice, and
we heard rumors."

Between 1965 and 1966, pot was becoming increasingly commonplace
across the United States, and Yale was no exception to the trend.
Accompanying the progressive changes that were taking place at
Yale-such as the discontinuation of mandatory physical education
classes and the abolishment of the rule requiring jackets and ties at
dinner-was the increasing rate of casual drug use on campus. "It
wasn't until the following year, when my roommates and I moved into
D-Port-a few entryways down from [future president] George W. Bush [DC
'68]-that pot use became more well known," he said. "By 1968, we were
all mainlining Dylan and the Stones on earphones in our suites, and
there was a fair amount of marijuana."

Since then, pot has maintained its presence at Yale, cycling through
periods of heavier and lighter usage. But while national survey
results show that approximately 12 percent of 18-to-25-year-old
Americans have used cannabis in the past month, Yale-specific
statistics aren't readily available. For this reason, even though
everyone recognizes that drugs have been a part of the Yale social
scene for decades, some students and most adults around
campus-professors, administrators, and researchers-remain in the dark
about how pot figures into the demanding schedules of Yale
undergraduates. "I don't know a single thing about current drug use at
Yale," Sleeper admitted.

Dean of Undergraduate Affairs Betty Trachtenberg hypothesized that a
crackdown on alcohol abuse has led to a recent increase in pot
smoking. "My sense is that over the past few years marijuana use has
gone up," she said.

Indeed, a poll of 80 randomly selected undergraduates conducted by the
Herald suggests that approximately 45 percent of students have used
marijuana during their time at Yale, with at least 18 percent using it
once a month or more.

In an effort to allow this population to speak for itself, I sat down
with three different undergraduates who smoke on a daily basis. While
our time together resembled neither Confessions of an English Opium
Eater nor The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, all three students were
surprisingly objective when discussing their marijuana habits.

Pot for Pleasure

"You picked a pretty boring drug. It's not like coke," remarks Jason,
a senior in Saybrook, as he exhales smoke through his nose. "But I
think marijuana is pretty important because it's so prevalent."

While the frequency with which he uses pot-more than once a day on
average-makes Jason a rarity at Yale, he still belongs to the largest
category of smokers on campus: those who use the drug to relax and
have a good time. As we sit in his off-campus bedroom, he tells me
that marijuana, for him, is a simple pleasure. "I don't really believe
in that expand-your-mind bullshit. It basically just dulls your senses
when you smoke pot," he explains.

Like most Yale users, Jason does his best to keep work and play
separate. After sitting through a good number of seminars stoned
sophomore year, he tries not to smoke before class anymore.

"I gave a presentation in Claude Rawson's 'Satire' class high one
time-I think it was on Dryden," says Jason while hitting a bowl
between responses. "As I imagined it, I went off on these crazy
tangents and Claude was just staring at me like, 'What a moron.'"

Since then, most of Jason's Wednesdays are spent like this one. He
wakes up at around 11 a.m., gets through his classes, comes home, and
packs a small wooden pipe as soon as he gets in the door. As I sit
with him, he spends the next few hours watching a History Channel
special on Caligula, strumming an acoustic guitar, smoking more pot,
and answering my insipid questions. After the interview, he reads
Wordsworth for an hour and smokes again, complaining that he needs to
buy more pot soon.

Jason purchases an eighth (of an ounce) from a student-dealer every
two or three weeks. But he's the first to admit that his habit affects
more than his wallet. "I would definitely get a lot more done [at
Yale] if I didn't smoke," he says. "It is a problem: it's substance
abuse. It takes down the general level of student involvement and
student intelligence."

That doesn't mean Jason plans on stopping anytime soon. He recognizes
the harmful health effects of smoking and chooses to smoke anyway
because he greatly enjoys the sensation of being high. Still, he is at
least willing to embrace the notion of moderation. "You've got to
balance your life: You can't get high all the time-sometimes you have
to get drunk," he proclaims before closing the door behind me and
heading to bed.

Pot for Perspective

Greg, a junior in berkely-the only heavy smoker I sat down with who
wanted his real name printed in this article-also distinguishes
between binge drinking and smoking pot. "People who drink on the
weekends are definitely more the type to use it as an excuse for
bizarre and destructive behavior," he said. "Potheads who do stupid
things while they're high are in the minority."

This appears to be a good case for why the administration focuses more
on addressing alcohol abuse than marijuana. Yet, Dr. Brent Moore-a
researcher at Yale Medical School who is investigating the respiratory
effects of marijuana-suggests that marijuana may be insidious in this
respect. Because its dangers are not as acute as those associated with
other substances, "It lulls people into use for an extended period of
time and makes them more willing to go back to it," Moore said.

For just this reason, Greg is careful to avoid using marijuana simply
as a means of dulling his senses. While he smokes three or four times
a week, his marijuana use is more purposeful than that of the average
Yalie. Since the club water-polo season is over-Garret was the team's
captain this past fall-Greg gets home at around 4 p.m. After classes,
a lifting session in the Berkeley gym, and a quick shower, he sits
down to roll a joint and explain his habits.

"My friends and I tend to use pot as a way to see things in a
different light. It puts you inside your head a little more, makes
your thoughts a little more interesting," he says. "Pot sort of
lubricates the conversation a little."

Greg enjoys talking with friends, watching movies, and writing while
stoned because he's able to approach these activities from a unique
perspective. He feels marijuana makes him more creative.

Greg is not alone in professing the potential benefits of pot use. Recently,
Louis Silverstein, professor of Liberal Education at Columbia College in
Chicago, published a book entitled Deep Spirit & Great Heart: Living in
Marijuana Consciousness. Silverstein described to me how pot can be "used in
a disciplined and respectful manner as an agent of transformation."

While Silverstein's views are very much those of an idealistic
ex-hippie, they needn't be presumptuously discarded. Perhaps the world
of the '60s campus described by Sleeper, in which marijuana was a
symbol of both defiance and creativity, is long gone. But at least a
portion of Yale pot smokers, including Greg, believe that it's
important to understand the reasons behind one's pot habits so as to
avoid using it merely as a crutch.

Alison, a junior in Jonathan Edwards, smokes on a daily basis and
acknowledges that there's a serious risk of becoming emotionally
addicted. She approaches this potential pitfall in a similar way to
what Greg does: by using pot purposefully. "With my friends, there's
often an element of searching for something higher. No pun intended."
She laughs while adding, "Not necessarily every time, but you do learn
things about yourself."

Pot for Problems

Andrew, a senior in Silliman, is among the students on campus who
smoke to manage stress. Certainly, all Yale pot smokers get high
because it's a nice break from the routine of academic life, but
Andrew emphasizes this aspect of the drug as we sit in his suite.
Fingering the carb to a three-foot bong patched with epoxy-resin after
a disastrous fall a few semesters back, he's perfectly candid in his
explanation of why he smokes pot every day.

"If I didn't smoke, I'd have a hard time getting through all the
bullshit on a given day at Yale," he says. "Yale is an environment
that begs for some kind of self-medication, whether it's fro-yo,
caffeine, or cigarettes."

Andrew questions both the nature of dependence and the
rationalizations that people tend to provide for their addictions.
Even as he exhales a ring, he insists that he doesn't believe the
benefits of smoking necessarily outweigh the harmful effects. More
than most heavy smokers, he is well aware that the health concerns
raised by marijuana go beyond getting sucked into watching too many
dating shows. Last year, one of his closest friends suffered from
serious panic attacks related to pot use.

"[He] had a nervous breakdown," Andrew recalls. "It was pretty messed
up for all involved. Basically, I feel like there could be more
support at Yale. More rehab rather than just writing him off as a
nut-job or whatever."

Dr. Marie Baker, the undergraduate substance abuse counselor at
University Health Services, defends the current support system. "I
think that there is information out there, from Freshman Orientations
and online," she says. "Some students definitely do come in concerned
about their marijuana use. And sometimes they come in with other
concerns and we discover that marijuana is the real issue."

Nevertheless, students like Andrew feel that increased support and
discussion related to marijuana use couldn't hurt. A dialogue would do
more than serve as the first line of defense against situations like
the one involving Andrew's friend; it would help community members to
better understand the who and the why of marijuana use. Furthermore,
it would allow users to feel less marginalized, Greg said. "Putting it
out in public makes people feel better, like it's not just their dirty
little secret," Greg points out.

Beyond the Archetypes

Nearly everyone I spoke with-smokers and non-smokers alike-expressed a
genuine belief in the need for a wider dialogue about marijuana use on
campus. According to the Herald's poll, the general undergraduate
population seems to agree. Fifty-one percent of students surveyed said
that Yale should work harder to promote a dialogue concerning
marijuana use; 65 percent said they would be somewhat interested or
very interested in attending lectures about research involving
marijuana and discussions about marijuana use.

If that's so, why aren't more people talking about
pot?

William Corbin, a professor of psychology who teaches "Addictive
Behaviors," points out that these kinds of things are cyclical in
nature. "Part of the increase in marijuana use is due to all the
attention on cocaine and ecstasy," he says, cautioning that focusing
too heavily on marijuana would likely result in an increase in the use
of other substances.

However, Corbin acknowledges that the primary reason that marijuana is
rarely discussed is the focus already placed on the binge-drinking
problem. Alcohol, of course, remains the drug of choice on campus and
is the center of an ongoing dialogue. In contrast, marijuana may be
prevalent enough to warrant more attention, but mostly fosters
silence. "We don't do much in terms of education and talking [about
marijuana use]," Trachtenberg confessed.

But that might finally be changing. Corbin has begun collecting data
on alcohol and drug use at Yale. When the results are made available,
they will provide the administration with information that will be
useful in designing and implementing marijuana-related education and
health services.

Meanwhile, Moore recently gave a lecture in Linsly Chittenden
concerning his respiratory research. While attendance was slim and a
few students even walked out-apparently disappointed that the lecturer
wasn't discussing the benefits of pot smoking-Moore remains hopeful.
"I'd certainly be happy to talk about it more broadly," he said. "I
would provide a perspective."

If we were more open about the role that marijuana plays in the lives
of a portion of undergraduates, perhaps non-users would be more
willing to contemplate the reasons why some students smoke, and users
more willing to listen to people like Moore when they explain the
drawbacks of marijuana dependence.

Encouraging understanding among non-smokers and restraint among
smokers seems to be a path the administration is prepared to pursue.
When asked if she'd ever smoked marijuana, Trachtenberg declined to
comment. When asked if she'd ever consumed marijuana in the form of
brownies or cookies or cake, Trachtenberg again declined to comment.
But when confronted about the need for a dialogue concerning pot at
Yale, she replied, "We should do that. We can't do it this second, but
we'll do it next year."

All names are fictional unless otherwise noted.