Marijuana Use on Campus. Marijuana use on college campuses is on the rise, jumping from 16.9 percent in 2008 to

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1 Luis Olivares Marijuana Use on Campus Introduction Marijuana use on college campuses is on the rise, jumping from 16.9 percent in 2008 to 25 percent in 2010 (Truong). This research paper poses the question: Is the College of Coastal Georgia following the trend on increasing marijuana usage? In April 2014, a survey was conducted to determine what proportion of students use marijuana on the CCGA campus, the reasons for using marijuana, and if any students are buying or selling marijuana on campus. These questions were answered by hundreds of anonymous CCGA students through an on-line web-based survey tool. Background Marijuana legislation is among the most highly debated issues at state capitols across the nation, especially since marijuana use on college campuses has been steadily increasing. The 2010 National CORE Alcohol and Other Drug Survey indicates that 18.1% of college students across the country report using marijuana in the past 30 days, and 31.3% report using marijuana in the past year. At Georgia Southern University, marijuana is the second most popular drug on campus, with 33% using, compared to alcohol use at 38% (collegeprowler.com). Even though this drug remains illegal in Georgia, this does not appear to impede students from using the drug.

2 Methods To determine where the campus of the College of Coastal Georgai stands on this issue, this researcher created a simple survey designed to be a quick and effective means of collecting the information needed to assess marijuana use on campus. In order to obtain a confidence level of 95%, 341 anonymous volunteers were required. In order to obtain sufficient respondents, the researcher took advantage of visiting campus classes that included computer labs, in addition to recruiting students around campus. The individual recruitees completed their surveys on I-Pads or computers to ensure anonymity. No identifiable information was collected. Results Chart 1. Demographics: Gender of Respondents Gender of Survey Respondents 58.2% 41.8% Male Female The majority of students who took the survey were female, the percentage of women16.4% more than men. This reflects in part the fact that about two-thirds of the current student body are females, therefore, males are somewhat overrepresented in the sample.

3 Percentage Chart 2: Demographics: Age of Respondents Age Groups of Respondents 45.0% 40.0% 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% Older than 35 Age Groups of Respondents The age range represented about 38.2% of respondents, followed by the age group with 30.3%, and with 18.5%. The older students that were 26 and older make up about 12.9% percent of the sample population and efforts were made to reach all age groups to ensure a representative sample. It is worth noting that the majority of students attending this campus are recent high school graduates, and some people theorize that these students are more likely to experiment with illegal substances than older students. This might skew the rate of marijuana use higher than for colleges with older student populations.

4 Chart 3: Frequency of marijuana use How often do you use marijuana in any form? 58.4% 7.4% 6.8% 3.8% 9.4% 14.2% Daily Weekly Monthly A few times a year Hardly ever Never The third question posted very interesting results. Of 341 volunteer respondents, 7.4% report using marijuana daily, 6.8% use marijuana weekly, and 3.8% smoke monthly. If this sample is representative, this survey response would imply that of 3000 students attending, around 222 are using marijuana daily, 204 students are using marijuana weekly, and 114 students are using marijuana monthly. An additional 9.4% say that they use marijuana a few times a year. The remainder, however, are the 14.2% who hardly ever use and 58.4% who say that they never use. The 58.4% represents about 1750 students, but when added to the hardly ever, the percentage rises to 72.6%.

5 Chart 4. Last time marijuana was used If you use marijuana, when was the last time you smoked or ingested marijuana? 48.4% 4.7% 12.2% 7.7% 15.4% 13.9% I'm high right now During the past week During the past month During the past year When I was younger, but I don't use marijuana anymore Never When the respondents were asked about the last time they smoked marijuana, 4.7% of the students said that they were actually under the influence of marijuana at the time of the survey. It is possible that some students did not answer accurately or did not take it seriously, but this finding does provide some evidence that students may be attending classes under the influence. In other responses, 12.2% admitted to using marijuana during the past week, and 7.7% used within the past month. Altogether 26% of students in the survey used marijuana recently compared to the 15.4% that used during the last year. 13.9% admitted to using marijuana when they were younger but don t use anymore. The percentages of students who never smoke marijuana stay at close to half, 48.4%. Approximately 64% of the student population has never smoked marijuana or stopped smoking marijuana altogether.

6 Chart 5. Student perceptions about other students marijuana use Student perceptions about "other students" regular use of marijuana? 42.2% 20.1% 24.5% 9.4% 3.8% up to 10% 10-25% 26-50% 51-75% More than 75% The horizontal access illustrates a range of choices about what percentage of students use marijuana on a regular basis. The columns represent the number of students who believe that percentage of other students use marijuana. To determine whether there is a difference in perception and reality about marijuana use, a question was asked to determine what percentage of students other students believe use marijuana on a regular basis. Even though the majority of students don t smoke marijuana, the belief that the majority of students use marijuana exists. An explanation for this belief would be that students who do not use marijuana are affiliated with students who do smoke marijuana. Since the CCGA Campus is very small compared to colleges like Georgia Southern, the odds of students who are affiliated with users are higher. A small percentage of students believe that more than 75% of students are using marijuana. The reason for this could be that students who use marijuana are more likely to be affiliated with others who smoke marijuana or assume that others are also using the drug. This information could be helpful to those who want to reduce

7 marijuana use on campus, since the belief that other people are smoking marijuana is much higher than reality. This fact could be used to conduct a social norms campaign to reduce marijuana use. In a Chi-Square analysis, there was no statistically significant relationship between daily, weekly, and monthly smokers and perceptions of the frequency of other students marijuana use. One important finding, however, was that the majority of daily and weekly smokers are male and between the ages of Chart 6. Reasons for using marijuana If you use marijuana, why do you choose to do so? 56.7% 17.2% 1.5% 11.6% 13.1%. For recreational use Peer pressure To reduce stress I like the way it makes me feel I don't use marijuana Another purpose of the survey was to see why students choose to smoke marijuana. The major reason for students using marijuana on this campus is for recreational use. The second major reason students use marijuana is because they like the way it makes them feel. Another major reason students use marijuana is to reduce stress. It is possible that stresses of college life combined with peer pressure are related to a significant percentage of students who use marijuana.

8 Chart 7. Marijuana purchase on campus Have you ever bought marijuana on campus? 7.6% Yes No 92.4% The number of students who buy marijuana on campus is low as well. This 7.6% of the entire sample population admitted to purchasing marijuana on campus. If the proportions are correct, that s roughly 228 out of 3000 students that may have illegally purchased marijuana on school grounds. This relatively low amount may be due to the fact that use of marijuana is relatively low and the presence of campus security on a small campus.

9 Chart 8. Class attendance while using marijuana Have you ever gone to class high? 16.0% Yes No 84.0% Out of the small proportion of students that use marijuana on a regular basis on our campus, 16% of them state that they have actually attended their classes while under the influence of marijuana. Chart 9. Legalization of marijuana Do you think marijuana should be legalized? 27.6% Yes No 72.4%

10 The last question on the survey was to determine the percentage of the student population who believe that marijuana should be legalized. Given that the majority of students on this campus never smoked marijuana or no longer use marijuana, a surprisingly high 72.4% of the students that were surveyed believe that marijuana should be legalized. Students who were aware of the survey (not respondents) commented to this researcher that the medicinal value of marijuana is beneficial to cancer and glaucoma patients and that legalizing would help them recover from their treatments. One anonymous student stated her opposition by saying that if marijuana were legalized then it would lead to more crime and violence in this country. Conclusion In conclusion, the CCGA campus is pretty tame where the subject of marijuana is concerned. The college s relatively low numbers can change with the welcoming of new students and with upcoming expansions by the college. Potential changes in legislation could change things as well. With each passing generation, marijuana seems to be losing its taboo nature and seen more as non-threatening to society. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for this little plant and what contributions it would make to mankind and society.

11 Bibliography Truong, Debbie Statistics Rise High for Marijuana Use. USA Today College (September 12). North Dakota State University. Undated. Marijuana Myths and Facts. College Prowler, Georgia Southern University. Drug Safety. (April 22, See, Jackie Marijuana Use among College Students. Illinois Higher Education Center (June). %20Jackie%20See.pdf