Marijuana has become more acceptable in today’s climate, but some students at San Jose State have differing opinions.
Because of SJSU’s Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, no one is allowed to hold or use marijuana anywhere on campus, according to an SJSU webpage.
The university doesn’t allow exceptions for medical purposes and it doesn’t accept medical marijuana cards, according to the same webpage.
Biomedical engineering sophomore Nourdean Shraim said a training program he took as a freshman greatly influenced his view on weed.
“Before I went to university, I kind of took it as ‘Hey my parents told me it’s bad, so it’s bad,’ but I wasn't 100% against it,” Shraim said. “But then, when I took the student training for what weed does to your brain . . . my stance is borderline it’s just as bad, if not even worse, than alcohol.”
SJSU offers a number of resources to deter students from smoking marijuana, including mandatory awareness training on alcohol and substance use for incoming students.
Shraim said he believes many of the people in college who smoke a lot of weed have fallen victim to a lack of information on its consequences.
“People are well aware what alcohol does to their bodies and that’s why I believe that people are knowingly getting themselves into trouble with alcohol. Weed, not so much,” he said.
According to an email from the Student Wellness Center, some of the consequences of smoking weed include addiction, negative mental health effects, memory and learning issues, impaired concentration and attention, among others.
Most of these effects are associated with long-term marijuana use, according to the same email.
Shraim said he believes the only acceptable scenario to use marijuana is for medicinal purposes.
A sociology senior, who preferred to remain anonymous for privacy reasons and will be referred to as Jane, said she smokes at least five times a week and tries to make sure she doesn’t do it everyday.
“I have asthma, not going to lie, so it’s not the best for my health,” she said.
Jane said because of school, family duties, two jobs, extracurriculars and a social life to maintain, her mind is constantly racing, and smoking weed helps to slow it down.
SJSU’s Student Wellness Center said this effect is to be expected when using marijuana, but it’s not the only one.
“When someone starts to use cannabis, they can feel calm, relaxed and sleepy. Their heart beats faster, their reaction time slows, their eyes get bloodshot, eyesight can blur and they may lose sense of time,” the Student Wellness Center wrote in an email.
Jane said the time-slowing, nerve-calming substance is just what she needs at the end of a busy day.
“After I smoke I feel numb, not in a bad way though,” Jane said. “My mind constantly runs throughout the day . . . when I [smoke] at the end of the day, it’s nice and I get to relax.”
Another sociology senior, who also preferred to remain anonymous and will be referred to as Mary, said she did not have a relaxed experience with weed in the Bay Area.
Mary said before moving to the bay, she smoked weed casually and in social settings on and off for about six years.
She said one of her first times smoking in the Bay Area was with a man whose apartment she was thinking about renting a room in.
Mary said after speaking with the man for a bit, he offered to share a joint with her.
“I only took, like, two puffs off of a joint from this person that I didn’t really know and I was just out of my mind, like, basically couldn’t even function at all,” Mary said. “I was scared because I didn’t know the guy . . . I was trying to figure out how to even get away from there.”
Ever since then, Mary said she has not resumed smoking regularly the way she used to. She said she still believes smoking weed is fine as long as it’s consensual and in moderation.
“If students make the decision to use cannabis . . . it can be tempting to want to consume more to feel the effects faster, but this can lead to consuming too much and potentially having a bad reaction,” the Student Wellness Center wrote in the same email.
