For my second feature story, I talked to a current Penn State student about his experience with marijuana. Enjoy.
Tyler is smiling.
Earlier in the day he
found out that he only needed one class to declare a minor.
“And now I’m minoring
in environmental engineering,” he says, still smiling. “I was like [expletive]
it, why not?”
But that’s not the only
reason Tyler’s happy right now. Despite his dealer being unable to provide him
with his weekly marijuana fix, Tyler was able to smoke some free of charge.
Yes, Tyler is high. And
even though he decides not to share his last name, he isn’t quite as shy when
discussing marijuana.
The senior majoring in
civil engineering says he likes to play video games and watch visually
stimulating movies like "Transformers " when he’s high.
But he doesn’t just
melt into the sofa after he smokes. He likes to ride through the streets on his
longboard and he says that his coordination isn’t affected much. Tyler’s more
energetic after he smokes and likes to move around.
Just the mention of his
first experience with marijuana makes Tyler chuckle.
When he was 16, Tyler
traveled to Vermont with his cousin to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
“It was awesome because
it was the first party that I went to,” he says as he props his navy and neon
green sneakers on a coffee table . “We were all chilling, and I just happened
to find myself sitting in the circle and all of the sudden this kid takes out a
cigar and starts emptying it.”
Tyler says he was
confused at that moment. He had never seen marijuana before, let alone the
process of rolling a blunt, which is when users remove the tobacco from a cigar
and replace it with marijuana.
The blunt then made its
way around the circle, eventually landing in Tyler’s hand.
“I didn’t even inhale
it right,” he says. “I just got some smoke in my mouth and blew it out.”
Tyler didn’t get high
that night. He says he only smoked a few more times before college, but once he
arrived at Penn State, his usage increased.
“I made friends with
people who had a ‘guy’ so then I had a connection too,” he says. “It was easier
to get than alcohol because the dealer doesn’t care what age you are. You could
be six years old, and they would sell it to you.”
Tyler remains animated
as he talks, motioning with his hands like an orchestra conductor. Even with
his glassy eyes and occasional hesitation, Tyler is an engaging
conversationalist who admits he is just as honest when he’s sober.
He usually buys an
eighth of an ounce of marijuana a week. Before he skates to class on his
longboard, Tyler smokes from a homemade bong. Once he gets home, Tyler says he
smokes from his pipe, also known as a bowl, a few times while completing
schoolwork and relaxing.
Spending upwards of $60
a week on marijuana puts a strain on his budget, but Tyler says he only buys it
if he can afford it.
“I told myself early on
that I will never owe anybody money,” he says. “I don’t put myself in
debt.”
Money is just one of
the factors that cause some students like Tyler to rethink their marijuana
usage, says Suzanne Zeman, a registered nurse.
Zeman, the coordinator
of educational services for the Health Promotion and Wellness office at Penn
State, says most students enrolled in the Marijuana Intervention Program
at the university are mandated to be there. A smaller percentage decide to join
on their own.
It’s nice to get
self-referrals in the program, because it usually means that either the
student, a family member or a friend have already expressed some concern, she
says.
“Just because they’re
here, doesn’t mean they want to do anything different,” she says. “It just
depends on the person and where they’re at, and we try to meet them where
they’re at.”
Students in the program
meet with a masters-level health educator to discuss their marijuana usage and
the factors that may contribute to them changing their habits.
Through a method called
“harm reduction,” Zeman, who has been overseeing the program for two years,
says health educators try to find small, manageable changes students can make
to their usage habits that may or may not translate into larger changes.
The sessions are meant
to be a conversational because when students start talking, they realize some
negative effects they didn’t notice before, Zeman says.
“It has to be
individualized because everyone has a different background, set of experiences
and even family dynamic that all play into their drug use,” she says.
Zeman says some
students in the program smoke before they go to bed because it helps them
sleep. Others have dealt the drug. Some were even robbed trying to buy it.
There is a common “risk-free”
mindset among students who use marijuana because more research and advertising
is going toward alcohol education, she says.
“I think there is this
cultural perception that marijuana is safe because of the medical marijuana
issue,” she says.
Marijuana is legalized
for medical use in 18 states and the District of Columbia. While the drug does
offer some medical benefits, scientists continue to research ways to make the
use of the drug safer.
“We don’t get into a
fact war with people,” Zeman says. “They can choose to believe whatever they
want to believe, but if they share something with us that’s inaccurate, at
least we can make sure they have correct information.”
And then there’s the
issue of addiction.
According to the 2010
National Survey on Drug Use and Health, marijuana accounted for 4.5 million of
the estimated 7.1 million Americans dependent on or abusing illicit drugs.
“Marijuana can be
addictive just like other drugs can be addictive,” Zeman says. “Not that it’s
the most harmful thing in the world, but it’s more about getting past this
mentality that it’s safe.”
As a frequent user who
has seen the drug affect friends in different ways, Tyler understands the
debate over whether or not marijuana is addicting.
“Yes, I have seen
people get too dependent on it, but kids like me just think that things are
more fun when we’re high,” he says as a smile reappears on his face. “I’ve seen
both sides so I can’t say that one side doesn’t exist.”
“It’s helped me notice
the little things in life and actually figure out other things,” he adds.
Tyler considers himself
part of the stoner culture. He gets the munchies and likes to make “ridiculous
concoctions” - his most recent being a bowl of peanut butter with granola
cereal and honey on top. He also says he’s done research and even given a speech about marijuana for a class. And some things he’s read make him very upset that marijuana isn’t legalized everywhere.
“I almost just smoke weed to go against the government,” he laughs. “I have that hippie sense about me.”
