RESPONSIBLE USE

Andy Norman's Tuesday column "Potheads: lay down your weed," was an
extremely annoying article because of its stereotypical portrayal of people
who use marijuana. He cites anecdotal evidence about how pot use plays a
causal role in the general apathy of some pot users.

Perhaps Andy and his friends started smoking pot for the same reason they
became lazy and lost all ambition, some other variable that he hasn't
considered. I could theorize all day about what that third variable might
be, but that isn't the point. It's easier to blame your own personal
failings (bad grades, failed relationships, laziness) on a drug than it is
to say that you were the sole cause of your own demise.

I smoke pot all the time, I worked a full-time job throughout my years at
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and I have maintained a 3.9 GPA all at
the same time. How is that for lack of ambition? What is interesting about
"potheads" like me is we are less likely to talk about our use than others
who are college dropouts with nothing to lose. We have to hide our
responsible use and are therefore less likely to be counted in scientific
polls and less likely to be encountered by individuals like you who help
strengthen stereotypes by drawing fallacious conclusions from limited
personal experiences.

There are more highly successful potheads in the United States than any of
us will ever know. Until pot is legalized and the irrational social stigma
surrounding this drug subsides, very few will be willing to stand up and
admit their responsible use like I have done today.

Trish Hill, senior, philosophy and sociology.