By Candice Geier

A recent survey taken by 21 random people at CSU-Pueblo about marijuana use and legalization reveals some student’s positions.

Although there has been talk of the CSU-Pueblo campus becoming a completely smoke-free campus, there has been no talk of the medical marijuana needs for some students. Ninety-five percent of survey participants agreed that a person should be able to smoke marijuana on university grounds if they have a medical marijuana card.

According to 86 percent of the sampled population, marijuana should be legalized for everyone. Of the remaining 14 percent, 9 percent said a person should be able to smoke if there is a medical need.  Although 86 percent of the sample said they were in favor of marijuana legalization, one third, 33.3 percent, of the sample admitted to smoking marijuana. 

Those who admittedly smoked held a wide range of smoking habits. Some reported smoking once or twice a month and others reported smoking four times a day.

One participant said they smoked hashish, a marijuana derivative, on a daily basis. Others said they smoke marijuana on a daily basis. Some said they smoked three or four times a day, while others smoked three or four times in a month. There was one who said they smoke marijuana around eight times a month.

However, survey participants were evenly divided when asked if they believed marijuana negatively affects a student’s grade point average. According to 61 percent of the participants, marijuana does not directly cause a student to have a lower grade point average.

About half of the participants said there are safety risks other than a low GPA associated with smoking. The safety risks listed by the students included lung damage, driving under the influence and killing brain cells. Some said the only hazards were becoming tired and lazy.