Marijuana.com

PotShot

Marijuana Use Falling at Colleges
LINDA CONNER LAMBECK | The Connecticut Post | 02/19/2006

Connecticut college students smoke pot more than their peers nationwide, but marijuana use is down both in the state and nation, studies show.

Despite a recent crackdown on pot dealing at Fairfield University, however, and efforts to address the problem elsewhere, marijuana use remains a fact of life on campus.

In a 2004 survey, 34.7 percent of Connecticut college students reported smoking marijuana in the previous year — a 6 percent decline from 40.6 percent in 2001. That compares with 32.9 percent of U.S. college students who in 2004 reported smoking pot at least once in the prior year. The statistics were obtained by the CORE Institute Alcohol and Drug Survey, produced annually by Southern Illinois University.

It shows pot smoking among students fell nationwide as well as in Connecticut. In 2001, the percentage of U.S. students who admitted smoking pot was 36.4. Not only are fewer students admitting to using, but fewer students are getting caught.

Marijuana use "kind of ebbs and flows," said Jeanne Di Muzio, director of wellness and prevention at Fairfield University. In 2004, the federal government's Campus Crime Report showed the number of students who faced disciplinary action or arrest for drug violations fell drastically at Quinnipiac University in Hamden and the University of Connecticut in Storrs.

Drug violations and arrests also fell modestly at Fairfield University, Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven and the University of Bridgeport.

Nevertheless, after alcohol, marijuana remains the drug of choice on college campuses — and a potentially lucrative, if risky, business.

Earlier this month, members of the Statewide Narcotics Task Force arrested a senior at Fairfield University, charging that he had more than 5 pounds of marijuana in an off-campus apartment.

In 2004, Michaela Marshall was caught dealing pot from her room in the Dolan West dormitory. She was sentenced to 15 months in prison was recently released for good behavior and is on parole. She is back at Fairfield as a part-time student.

There were 82 drug violations reported in 2004 at Fairfield University. That compares with 87 drug violations in 2003 and 126 in 2002.

The 2005 list of drug violations at Fairfield University isn't out yet. Though one student was charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana with intent to sell; and other students have been charged with possession of marijuana in their dorm rooms.

Aliza Makuch, campus coordinator for the Governor's Prevention Partnership, said it's hard to gauge drug activity by crime statistics.

"If a campus is focusing more attention on making arrests, obviously, the numbers are going to be a little higher," she said.

Di Muzio sees more students sent to her substance-education courses for committing drug violations because the university instituted an educational class a year and a half ago as one consequence for students caught committing a single, minor drug infraction.

Despite statistics to the contrary, Di Muzio sees marijuana resurfacing as a more popular drug of choice.

"In focus groups, students say it's there. They know where to get it. It's something that if it is there, they will try it," Di Muzio said.

Jessica DiBuono, 21, a Fairfield University senior from Norwalk, said no one at a party has ever offered her drugs.

"It's not forced on people who don't do it. It's not like it doesn't happen but I would never say there is more here than other colleges," said DiBuono. "It's not something extremely prominent on our campus."

Michelle Torres, 21, a senior who lives off campus on Fairfield Beach, agreed.

"People drink but as far as other drugs, I don't see it exceeding other universities. I feel it's the same or even less," said Torres.

Torres knows people who smoke pot and others who don't. "Its not like it's thrown in your face. I feel it's a very like undercover kind of thing," said Torres, a marketing major from New Jersey.

DiBuono, an English major and president of student government who lives on campus, added that any increase in enforcement probably means more students are getting educated about the danger of drugs.

Despite the ambivalence some adults feel about preaching to children about marijuana use, Di Muzio said, students have a lot to learn.

"Marijuana of the 21st century is not the marijuana of the '60 or '70's, when I was in college. It's so much more potent. It has over 400 different chemicals that carry stronger impacts. The tar alone is five times that of a cigarette," Di Muzio said.

During her 75-minute Drugs 101 class, she tries to impress upon students what marijuana does to their bodies and their ability to learn.

One of the main side effects of marijuana causes students to lose their focus, enthusiasm and zest for learning, said Di Muzio.

"We know for sure it is addictive. I will challenge any student who tells me otherwise," said Janice Kessler, coordinator of alcohol and other drug services at Sacred Heart University.

Kessler went to college in the 1970s, too. She believes there is less tolerance for marijuana use today because more is known about its effects.

"A number of research studies show that it does affect short-term memory and the formation of new memory. Students can get high over the weekend, walk into class on Monday and not feel stoned, but still be less likely to retain new information," she said. "They are actually sabotaging their own learning. Students typically don't know that."

Kessler said there is no question more students are being funneled through the judicial system at Sacred Heart because of substance abuse. Still, she has not detected an uptick in marijuana use on her campus. A class she starts later this month for students caught violating the university's drug and alcohol policies is dominated by students caught with alcohol.

Last year, of the 80 students sent to her classes, no more than a handful were for drugs, she said.

At Sacred Heart, drug violations rose slightly in 2004 to 33, up from 27 in 2003. This month, there were two drug busts involving Sacred Heart students. Douglas Chasse, 19, a student from Wolcott, was reportedly caught with 20 packets of marijuana that he intended to sell; Dillon Fairhurst, 21, a Sacred Heart student living in Bridgeport, was arrested when police said they found marijuana, $925 in cash and drug-packaging materials in his apartment.

Kessler chalks up any increase in violations to increased vigilance.

"At this campus we have no tolerance for any kind of possession, dealing, selling. Typically a student caught selling drugs is going to be thrown right off campus," she said, adding that students complain they can't get away with things at Sacred Heart that their friends can on other campuses.

Even students caught in the same room as someone busted for pot faces the possibility of a fine, probation and mandatory attendance of Kessler's drug and alcohol class.

Kessler doesn't think students who do drugs typically buy them on campus.

"I rarely see Sacred Heart students with drugs, besides alcohol," said Heather McKillop, 21, a junior from Nashua, N.H. "I honestly do not come across them."

McKillop says she's too busy with classes, lacrosse and other student activities to "get involved in any of that."

Martha Milcarek, a spokeswoman at Fairfield, said a couple of high-profile cases on her campus does not a trend make.

"At this point, we're not seeing an increase. Our policies are very clear. We enforce them to the fullest extent. We're in full compliance with the Drug Free Schools Act," she said.

Milcarek said Fairfield Police are called any time a student is found in possession of drugs. A second offense triggers automatic dismissal from campus, she said.

"We feel we have very strong policies and that they are fully enforced," she said.

Di Muzio, Fairfield University's wellness director, said she would like the Statewide Healthy Campus Initiative, to which she belongs, to focus more on drugs other than alcohol.

"We need a checklist so we can recognize trends," she said. "You're dealing today with students who have access to all kinds of information, can fake symptoms and get pharmaceuticals over the Internet. Yet they don't know what these drugs do to them."

__________________

Carl Sagan Goodness Richard Dawkins Goodness

 

dedbr

I suppose if I hadn't been so stoned in college, I would of done better than the dean's list every quarter.

Bla, bla bla , bla bla bla , bla ,bla bla bla bla....and of course bla.

No more than a handful for drug's? Then why is she cryin' about herb? She should be screaming about alcohol, but no, let's talk about the demon weed.

And people like this are teaching our kids? It must be time to fall back and regroup....

Deddy

__________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

Abraham Lincoln
Happy New Year.......

TheNewGuy

Umm...ok, I've quit for months on end without any hesitation (for jobs that might require drug testing) and I never really gave a rats ass about it, so I guess I passed the "Janice Kessler Challenge". Yay me.

__________________
"Anyway, no drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power." ~P.J. O'Rourke

king cola

"DiBuono, an English major and president of student government who lives on campus, added that any increase in enforcement probably means more students are getting educated about the danger of drugs."

I agree with just about everything this girl said, but getting educated about drugs the way this country has been educating people isn't going to really do much. They are probably getting educated with more propaganda.

"Marijuana of the 21st century is not the marijuana of the '60 or '70's, when I was in college. It's so much more potent. It has over 400 different chemicals that carry stronger impacts. The tar alone is five times that of a cigarette," Di Muzio said."

Sounds like propaganda to me The pot in the 60s and 70's was weak, maybe they just didn't have the right connection at the time. All the pot they smoked probably came in from Mexico in brick form loaded with stems and seeds. Maybe they were cheap and just wanted to spend money on sh*t cause they would get a larger bag. Purple Haze was around in the 70's and people now go around with purple bud trying to pass it off as purple haze which is said to not exist anymore. If pot was weak back then, why would people now be going around with pot trying to pass it off as strains from the 60s or 70s if it wasn't potent? They try and make it sound like all the pot that was around back when they were younger was schwag. I wasn't around at the time and maybe if i didn't have a father who was a pot head when he was younger, i might have believed what they say about all the pot back then being crap.

Marijuana always had 400 chemicals in it, that hasn't changed, the only thing that might have increased is the level of THC. Out of that 400 chemicals, we never even hear them say how many are good or bad for you! They just say the number 400 and don't say anything about each of the chemicals. Theres things that are legal that have over 400 chemicals in them too. 400 is a large number, they don't need to say anything else, they just mention 400 and hope it scares people. The tar alone is 5 times of that of a cigarette, i've seen that get repeatedly used in other stories, let's see the proof! Some people have smoked marijuana for 30 years and show no signs of cancer, that's strange seein that it's supposed to greatly increase the chances of cancer than in tobacco.

You know somethin, cancer is cancer. Even tobacco smokers will say it's their life, the same goes for us pot smokers. If we get cancer isn't that our problem? Some of the teachers smoke cigarettes too, an addictive cancer causing substance. They shouldn't be the ones to talk about drug addicts because they probably can't quit smoking. My nose can actually handle the odor of burning pot, i can't say the same about tobacco. I've smoked a cigarette before, between that and pot, in my opinion i would say pot is cleaner.

"Di Muzio, Fairfield University's wellness director, said she would like the Statewide Healthy Campus Initiative, to which she belongs, to focus more on drugs other than alcohol."

LOL, a few weeks ago my mom had read a article talking about all the deaths on campus's caused from alcohol. People were dying from alcohol poisoning or getting drunk and falling off balcony's and getting killed. The number of deaths was up there associated with drinking. Maybe they should focus more on alcohol instead of less and maybe focus more on hard drugs if they are so concerned, but i don't think they should focus more on people smoking pot. I haven't read any reports of someone smoking weed and then falling off a balcony or smoking and then going into a coma or needing their stomach pumped

I have a few friends that go to some of the colleges listed. They haven't quit smoking pot, maybe some people have but my friends haven't. On some of those campus's listed, they had a bigger problem with drinking and people causing riots in the past. There were cases of alcohol poisoning, keg parties on the campus, cars being set on fire or flipped over, etc. The people responsible for those actions were intoxicated. I've seen plenty of people smoke pot and don't do that, personally i would say they should continue to focus more of their attention on alcohol, but at the sametime i could really care less about drugs and alcohol being used on campus's. I like to drink but i have enough control that if i get drunk, i don't go around vandalizing peoples property. They are college kids, i'm sure some of these teachers partied when they were in college and smoked some pot too.

"Earlier this month, members of the Statewide Narcotics Task Force arrested a senior at Fairfield University, charging that he had more than 5 pounds of marijuana in an off-campus apartment."

Yea, they put a real dent in the marijuana market

All that bust probably did was got rid of some other dealers competition. He might have been a reliable source for some people, but they will just find someone else to go to now.

nerphroll

Big F-in deal. Better weed ANYDAY over coke/crack/heroin/meth/X/GHB. This story makes no further mention of other, more hardcore and delterious off-topic substances, and neither shall I. :spark:

__________________
HELP ME IVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR OVER 13 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!
PURIFY ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

johnnyd

The pot of the 60's and 70's is the same pot that is smoked in the 21st century. In the 60's there was crappy pot from Mexico and really good pot from Hawaii. It's just that people are growing more of that original strain and variations of that strain from Hawaii. And its just economics. The growers know that they'll make more money if they grow good **** and the risk is the same for good pot or bad pot. Some druglord and a chemist didn't invent a new form of pot. This is just drug warrior BS.

BeatlesCapo

I always love the "The pot was weaker back in the day" argument, and the fact that it is based upon people smoking a fixed amount of pot each time, as opposed to smoking until they feel high, which is what usually happens.

Tokamak

During her 75-minute Drugs 101 class, she tries to impress upon students what marijuana does to their bodies and their ability to learn.

I'm enrolled in a similar class called "Behavioral Effects of Psychoactive Drugs." Thank God my professor, as well as being a prosperous psychiatrist, is also a sagacious pothead, and not this ignorant narc.


nerphroll: This story makes no further mention of other, more hardcore and delterious off-topic substances

Just because a substance is off-topic or considered by some to be more "hardcore" than marijuana doesn't automatically mean that they are more deleterious. It simply means that we are forbidden from discussing them openly and honestly here, lest the all-mighty moderators censor us.

Peace.

__________________
"He who knows does not speak. He who speaks does not know."
- Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Tolerance4all

The Cannabis coming out of Mexico was weak, most of the time. It cost $15 an ounce. However for $30 to $45 an ounce you could get Columbian, brown being the most common. The better Columbian was the gold, blond and red varities. I can remember sharing one joint of blond between five people at the county fair. We all had to leave early. We were laughing so much we were attracting attention. There was also Hash Oil available then. Very strong. Then there was Hawiian. $250 per ounce. Just as good as any strain out there today. There was plenty of potent Cannabis around in the 70's. I was too young in the 60's to know about then.

Purple Haze was a liquid LSD, not Cannabis.

Buzzby

I'm wondering if this reduction in the use of marijuana was related to an increase in the use of other, more dangerous and addictive, drugs (especially booze). I find it hard to believe that college students have suddenly decided to forego getting loaded on something.

__________________