THE WORD ON WEED

Marijuana Use At Mount Allison And Beyond

Conclusion: Marijuana Is A Part Of Mainstream Culture.
Question: Now What?

One of Mount Allison University's prime selling points is that it
offers a liberal arts education. These words are expounded upon at the
commencement ceremony for first year students and exhaustively
re-iterated over the course of the four years the average student
spends at Mt. A.

A liberal arts education encourages the analysis of issues, the
challenging of accepted views, and the development of the whole
person. When I told my friends back home about these aspects of Mt. A,
they immediately assumed that I was going to a stoner school. Well,
maybe that's not far from the truth.

There is no doubt that a lot of marijuana flows through this town in a
given semester. There are obvious peak levels around Frosh Week and
residence parties, but there are also many regular users populating
the Mount Allison community.

The History of the Debate

The proposed decriminalization of marijuana on a federal level has
been a hot topic in the news media for more than forty years. In 2002,
when Canadian senators announced that marijuana should be legal for
anyone over the age of sixteen, Canadians began to see government
wheels in motion and legalization on the horizon. Two years later,
most of them are still waiting. There is a long history to overcome in
this debate, however. Eighty-one years of it, to be exact.

Marijuana was first outlawed in Canada in 1923. It should be noted
that the decision to add marijuana to the list of controlled
substances was made without parliamentary debate. Since that point in
Canadian history, there has been an underground resistance movement.

In 1936, Reefer Madness was released in the United States to a shocked
audience. Narrated by a high school principal, the film accuses
marijuana of causing fatal car crashes, sexual impropriety, and
insanity. The film has since become a cult-classic for its dated
outlook on the drug, but at its heart, it deals with some genuine issues.

In 1969, the summer of love, high school students from across Canada
were engaged in a forum designed to provide an environment where
marijuana users could speak with one another, scientists, and the
media about their experiences with the drug. Students debated the
morality, legality, and prevalence of the drug in their lives.

In 1975, CBC Television produced a half-hour segment hosted by Lloyd
Robertson in which a direct comparison was made between alcohol and
marijuana. Using two groups of test subjects, he demonstrated the
placid nature of the stoner against the rambunctious nature of the
drunk (it's actually a pretty funny video if you want to check it out
at http://archives.cbc.ca/500f.asp?id=1-69-652-3591).

Throughout the following decade and into the 1990s, the Canadian
government, in a parallel move with the United States, began a
publicity campaign urging teenagers to "Stay Real". It was around this
time, however, that marijuana activists like David Malmo-Levine began
to make their initial appearances in the form of civil disobedience
protests. These protests most often took the form of "smoke ins" and
pro marijuana rallies in public areas.

In 2002, the Canadian Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs issued a
series of recommendations dealing with marijuana. Primary among these
was to legalize it, sell it through licensed retailers, and make it
available anyone over the age of sixteen. All persons who had been
charged with possession of marijuana would have that part of their
criminal record wiped clean. At the same time, trafficking would
remain illegal in order to shut out the black market.

In order to justify these recommendations, the Senate Committee cited
several studies that concluded that marijuana is no more dangerous
than alcohol, and does not lead to hard drugs. The study also pointed
out that there were currently no laws against smoking the drug, only
possessing it.

On November 2, 2004, Bills C-17 and C-16 were introduced to Canadian
Parliament. Bill C-17 involves the decriminalization of marijuana
while C-16 allows police officers to stop drivers suspected of being
under the influence of drugs. Police officers would then be allowed to
request that the driver perform a series of roadside coordination
tests with the possibility of being requested to produce a blood or
urine sample. Under the proposed legislation, those found guilty of
possessing less than fifteen grams of marijuana would be subject to a
fine of no more than $400.

The NDP has currently raised the issue that this may encourage more
enforcement of simple possession charges and has also asked that some
form of amnesty be offered to the 600,000 Canadians currently living
with a criminal record due to previous possession charges.

Another chapter has been opened on the debate and no end is currently
in sight.

Statistics

According to former Canadian Alliance MP Keith Martin (now a Liberal),
approximately $150 million would be saved annually from the Canadian
Courts if marijuana were to be decriminalized.

There are currently twelve US States that have already decriminalized
marijuana. Alaska is currently looking at options to push this one
step further, and legalize the sale and distribution of the drug
through licensed venues.

In 2000, sixty-five per cent of respondents to a survey conducted by
The National Post said that decriminalization of marijuana would be a
positive thing. Twenty-two per cent responded negatively to the idea.

In 2002, more than ten million Canadians reported having used
marijuana at some point in their lives.

Approximately 600,000 Canadians now live with a criminal record due to
possession of marijuana.

Thirty-eight per cent of Mount Allison students claimed to smoke
marijuana on the Health Issues survey in the spring of 2003. 1250
students responded to the survey.

Health Effects

One of the most powerful myths surrounding marijuana consumption deals
with the health effects of the drug. While it is true that marijuana
is not addictive on a physical level, many regular users report a
psychological urge to continue using it. This supports the theory that
marijuana is still addictive on a psychological level, and leaves only
physical side effects if a user quits "cold turkey."

Studies have reported that detectable levels delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC), the psychoactive component of marijuana, will remain in the
body for four months once consumed.

Because THC is three times as potent when smoked than when eaten, the
majority of users prefer this method of consumption. Marijuana,
however, contains many of the same carcinogens that are found in
cigarettes and this can lead to lung disease as well as throat
problems. The majority of these carcinogens are found in "tars" or the
solid particulate matter, which is created as a byproduct of burning
leaf matter such as tobacco.

An independent study conducted by Dr. Dale Gieringer tested several
methods of smoking marijuana in order to discover which methods
produced the least amount of tars. Of water-bongs, joints and pipes,
Dr. Gieringer discovered that joints allowed the least amount of
particulate matter to be inhaled. Water-bongs, he discovered, were
often counter-productive as the water absorbed some of the THC, yet
little particulate matter, and thus encouraged the user to smoke more.
Dr. Dale Gieringer received his Ph.D. from Stanford University on the
topic of DEA Drug Regulation.

Marijuana can have semi-permanent to permanent effects on the frontal
lobes of the brain as well as the limbic system. This can, in turn,
contribute to emotional disorders as well as a general lack of
motivation and reclusive attitude. Over the long-term, chronic users
can expect to see an overall deterioration of their intellectual capacities.

Because of its effects on the hypothalamus and pituitary gland,
increased consumption of marijuana has also been reported to be the
cause of a low sex drive as well as impotence.

What the Students, Staff and Faculty are Saying

In order to gauge legitimate reactions to marijuana as a part of the
Mount Allison experience, the following quotes are, and will remain,
completely anonymous. Of the approximately 130 individuals who were
given the survey, approximately fifteen per cent responded within the
deadline for this article.

How do you feel about decriminilization/legalization?

"It should be legalized. It would not really change much for me except
that marijuana would be less expensive and more potent. I am discreet
with my smoking and I don't deal or carry pounds around with me, so I
am not worried about being arrested or anything. Also I would prefer
seeing the money I spend on pot go to government funded addiction
services, rather than to my local pot dealer's $200 super-bong or cell
phone or something." (Student, regular smoker)

"I'm not absolutely sure how I feel. I understand that it may be more
pacifying than alcohol. On the other hand I think it may be a gateway
drug. As an athlete and person, I detest smoke and don't think that
the lethargy that dope causes is helpful academically or
athletically." (Staff, never smoked)

"I feel decriminalization is a reasonable step to take with this drug,
but not with others. Eventually I think we should move towards a
system regulated by provincial governments as with alcohol, and see
marijuana sold just as liquor. The revenue generated would be
tremendous, the government could better regulate usage (by controlling
the age of consumers, for example, as with liquor) and establish
strict quality controls." (Student, irregular smoker)

How do you feel about marijuana use on campus and in
Sackville?

"I don't think it is constructive. On the other hand I quite like the
smell!" (Staff, never smoked)

"It's used a fair amount. But I come from a rural area where my boss
has a grow op. and almost all my high school friends are users. I'm
not a sheltered "goodie-two-shoes," I realize the fun people have when
they're high, but I've also witnessed the way it screws up peoples
lives. I've lost friends to marijuana, not because they died but
because they have become brain-dead shadows of their former selves.
It's sad to see a bright person go to pot (both literally and
figuratively)." (Student, never smoked)

Do you feel it is a problem at Mt. A?

"Problem? What is the problem? Oh wait I know a problem.... that
people who aren't involved think they have the right to decide it's
inappropriate." (Student, regular smoker)

"The biggest problem is with Mt. A's judicial code. The penalty for
marijuana is more severe than if one were to get drunk at the pub and
beat the hell out of someone. This is ludicrous. It is certainly the
case that some people have marijuana dependency problems and marijuana
is addictive, like most any substance. That said, there are many
people with alcohol dependency problems at Mt. A and I doubt
decriminalization or legalization will change this." (Student,
irregular smoker)

"I'm not a regular marijuana user but I have indulged on occasion and
I have to compare it, again, to using alcohol. Like alcohol, overuse
or abuse is dangerous; like alcohol, the occasional toke or beer to
relax seems pretty harmless to me." (Faculty, irregular smoker)

Could you relate a marijuana related story?

"The other night I smoked a joint, ate a piece of fruit, had a shower
and went to sleep. I woke up at 8:00 am, attended all of my classes
and spent the day at the library." (Student, regular smoker)

"I smoke marijuana often. It doesn't hinder my school work, it doesn't
hamper my social life, it doesn't make me less intelligent, and it
certainly doesn't make me uncontrollable to the point of being a
nuisance. The other day I smoked pot with a group of friends and the
night went something like this: Throughout the group there were about
half of us who had marijuana to offer. We rolled a few joints and
smoked a few bowls on a bong. While we were smoking we had music
playing in the background...Classic Rock and such. This gathering I
would consider a party, yet no RCMP officers showed up to shut us down
and haul us off to the tank. No neighbours came knocking on our door
to have us keep our friends inside and to keep them from peeing on
vehicles and plants. We didn't get any nasty phone calls telling us to
turn the pounding bass of the Hip Hop tracks down so people can sleep
at 2:30 or 3:00 am. And there were no fights between the partygoers.
Overall the night was pretty successful, with no loud noises, no
broken windows, no spilt drinks (although the water did topple out of
the bong once), and our landlord will certainly not be keeping our
damage deposit on account of this party." (Student, regular smoker)

With files from CBC