Peering Through the Smokescreen - II: Recommendations for Higher Education

Determining where to plant one’s flag regarding the issue of marijuana is challenging, to say the least. With the increasing attention marijuana receives in the media, it comes as little surprise that numerous states have approved the sale of medical marijuana and 4 additional states have joined Colorado, Washington, and the District of Columbia in making “recreational marijuana” legal. We are, as a culture, “all over the map” as the saying goes regarding this issue.

So, what are student affairs professionals and administrators in higher education to do regarding not only the public policy issues surrounding marijuana but how to address the issue if not the use of marijuana where our students are concerned? This second part considering this issue will address this question by proffering suggestions and recommendations tailored for the student affairs professional.

1.    Conduct more research regarding student use – traditionally marijuana research has focused on adolescents in general and middle and high school students specifically. This research has essentially been concerned with “who is doing what and how often.” Higher education needs a more robust understanding of marijuana and its use on campus in order to develop and implement more meaningful programs of prevention, intervention, and treatment. For example, student affairs professionals need to understand not only “who is using” and why, but who chooses not to use and why. Understanding why students who choose to eschew marijuana use do so will likely yield useful information regarding prevention. In essence, such research enables higher ed to focus less on preventing use and more on promoting alternative behaviors. Our research on marijuana and its use needs a focus on contemporary collegians, not just adolescents in general or those in middle school or high school.

2.    Be mindful that not all students use or have ever used marijuana – as noted in #1, understanding why students who choose to abstain do so is of great value when considering the development of proactive prevention strategies and effective policies and procedures related to marijuana and its use. In addition, for those students who do use, that use frequently tends to be periodic; for those more frequent users, that use is not always—or necessarily even predominantly—to “feel good or get high.” Self-medication of social anxiety is often cited by students who use when asked about their consumption. Learning more about such reasons for use through research will not only aid in the development of proactive prevention strategies but better inform student affairs professionals regarding the need to address issues of anxiety in general and social anxiety more specifically.

3.    Listen to understand and not just to respond - When listening to students regarding their involvement with marijuana, it is important to truly listen so as to understand what these students have to tell us rather than to simply hear them out in order to reply with a “one-size-fits-all” reactive response that comes from the policy and procedure playbook.

4.    Know where you stand personally - Student affairs professionals and those in higher education, in general, are advised to carefully consider their personal opinions about marijuana and its use as such will significantly frame any discussions on the topic. Whether one is on the “pro” or “con” side of the marijuana debate, it is difficult to remain objective and “act on” rather than “react to” issues related to marijuana and higher education without first having seriously considered one’s personal position on this topic. Even having done so, it is suggested that student affairs professionals discuss how best to serve the needs of students and/or adhere to an institution’s mission statement with campus peers and colleagues.

5.    Avoid minimizing the significance of high-risk drinking - It may appear as if marijuana is the issue of primacy when considering student substance using behaviors, but issues related to the use of all drugs together pales into insignificance when considering the problems associated with high-risk and dangerous collegiate drinking.

6.    Avoid talking about marijuana use as “smoking marijuana” - when addressing the topic of marijuana on campus, be mindful that the phrase “smoking” refers to the means of consumption. Although smoking may be the more common way marijuana is consumed on a campus, it is far from the only way it is consumed. As students choose to experiment with marijuana and realize that the smell of its smoke is the single largest contributor to “being caught,” they will likely increasingly turn to drinking or eating it in order to realize its psychoactive effects. Use terms like, “marijuana use” or “marijuana consumption” as alternatives.

7.    Irrespective of the law in the state where a college or university may be located, remember that federal laws regarding marijuana supersede state statutes -This means that students may believe they have the right to possess and use marijuana because of laws in the state where they reside and/or attend university, but federal law prevails for institution accepting ANY federal funds…student aid, federal grants, etcetera. Most institutions are conscious of this and their policies reflect this awareness, but students are not. The perception of an institution’s “Draconian measures” when encountering an institution’s efforts to comply with federal mandates may well lead to debates if not confrontations with students found in violation of marijuana policies and may even result in the involvement of their parents if not costly litigation.

These are but a few recommendations for the student affairs professional when considering the issue of marijuana and its use on campus. Although these suggestions do not ensure resolution of any, let alone all issues related to marijuana and its use on campus, they may, if taken under advisement, enable student affairs professionals to generate more “light than heat” when engaging in discussions on the topic.

It is important to note that there are many arguments, both for and against marijuana and its use. For this reason, it is not likely that marijuana will be far from the headlines anytime soon. Likewise, as long as the media keep marijuana in the spotlight, higher education will find itself dealing with how to address its use on campus. For this reason, it is incumbent upon student affairs professionals if not senior administrators, in general, to be proactive when considering this issue.

As the old adage goes, where there is smoke, there is fire. As regards marijuana, there is definitely smoke on our college and university campuses.

To watch 2 brief lectures (about 20-min each) on this topic delivered by Dr. Chapman at a colloquium in the Philadelphia area in January of 2016, visit the following links:

1. Framing the issue of collegiate marijuana use: http://bit.ly/2gyLb5F
2. Wrap up: http://bit.ly/2eDoDnK