I’m an Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Student Assistant in the Health Education and Promotion department of the Student Health and Wellness Center, and I wanted to address some misconceptions in the column “Freshman Green,” which promoted the idea that freshman should try marijuana.
Marijuana is a drug and is not an essential part of freshman year or college life. You don’t have to get high to meet cool people, do fun things and have great memories.
It’s important for students, especially those interested in trying new things, to remember that marijuana is still an illegal drug. This may change in the future, but at the moment marijuana is unregulated, which means you can’t know for sure what, exactly, is in it, whether it’s been spiked with other drugs or another substance.
And, of course, if you are caught in possession of it, you could face disciplinary action from Student Judicial Affairs, as well as possible criminal charges.
While the author of the article encourages students to try marijuana, be aware that you could be setting yourself up for long-term problems. Chronic use of marijuana can lead to lowered testosterone secretion, lung and heart damage and a weakened immune system. Marijuana users may become dependent on the drug and have impairments in attention and memory that may not be reversible.
Whether you decide to use marijuana or not, you should be aware of the possible consequences. Students can access more information on the effects of marijuana usage and the steps towards quitting by contacting Stephanie Lake, the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Intervention Services Coordinator at slake@shs.ucdavis.edu.
SARAH HELLESEN
Student Assistant, Health Education and Promotion
If Ms. Hellesen is interested in writing a column about how bad marijuana is, she can apply to be a winter quarter columnist when applications open up in a few weeks. If her samples are original, entertaining and well-written, her application will be considered.
Regards,
Jeremy Ogul
Opinion Editor
The California Aggie
Here here! Since the staff of the Aggie (specifically J. Ogul) has denounced my claim that the column Freshman Green should be removed and the author resign, I hereby urge the Aggie to offer Ms. Sarah Hellsen a weekly column alongside that of the author who writes these weekly cannabis propaganda pieces. It is only fair that the legal and consequential side of the argument against cannabis be presented.
In Solidarity,
Gaylord Gunnery