Despite St. George’s predominantly conservative ideals, many students at Dixie State University have expressed their support for marijuana use as a civil liberty.
There may be more acceptance on campus than expected, but there is a minority of students who feel it is a morally corrupt habit.
“I tend to not like the idea of marijuana,” said Chase Burch, a freshman communication major from Visalia, California. “It’s a drug, so it seems wrong.”
The consensus has shifted dramatically in this generation. Many DSU students don’t mind if people use marijuana as long as it’s done responsibly and non-intrusively. They see it as a personal choice.
Although most don’t care what you do on your own time, some students at DSU might unfriend you if they find out you partake in the sticky-icky. That’s somewhat understandable since a few people who start using marijuana get sucked into the pot-head stereotype. They become laid-back, long-haired and unambitious. But, it’s absurd to think that the stereotype is a side-effect of marijuana itself or that it destines the user to an unproductive life with a reggae soundtrack. Everyone knows someone who uses, but many people would find it surprising to learn which of their friends are using marijuana. It is often the case that you don’t know who uses until they have told you.
When President Bill Clinton admitted to smoking marijuana, he unknowingly uttered one of the most memorable phrases in history when he said he “didn’t inhale.” In contrast, when President Barack Obama admitted to using marijuana as a kid, he said he “inhaled frequently.” Marijuana use is now accepted as juvenile experimentation. The same students who find its use to be morally corrupt say their vote would be influenced by a candidate’s past use of marijuana. However, most students say they couldn’t care less if their leaders have used marijuana.
“Any leader that is willing to tell the truth is refreshing, and that is one less layer I have to dig through to find out what their real motives are,” said Armadeus Davidson, a freshman general education major from Seattle.
Americans don’t want to be told what to do or where to do it. That’s why marijuana is such a hot-button issue—even with non-users. We should accept that none of us are infallible, we all make mistakes and we all experiment. Respect other people’s liberties. If your friends choose to use an intoxicant around you, that affects you, so give them an ear full. But, if they are using responsibly in a controlled environment, respect their ability to make that choice and try not to judge them.