Pubdate: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 Source: Daily Cardinal (U of WI, Madison, Edu) Copyright: 2006 The Daily Cardinal Newspaper Corporation Contact: http://www.cardinal.wisc.edu/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/712 Author: Ashley Spencer Cited: Policy Alternatives Community Education http://pace.uhs.wisc.edu/ Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States) MARIJUANA USE NOT FLAGGING ON UW CAMPUS Over the past year, UW-Madison students acquired a reputation of engaging in heavy alcohol and drug use after being crowned the No. 1 party school by the Princeton Review and number two of the Top 10 Cannabis colleges by High Times magazine. Following the confiscation of an estimated $500,000 worth of marijuana in Blanchardville, Wis., last Thursday, Lafayette County Sheriff Scott Pedley said the area has been experiencing a general trend of increased illicit drug use. Two gun-wielding intruders, who were in their twenties, were shot and killed by the owner of the marijuana growing operation. Despite increased drug use in this southwestern Wisconsin town, UW-Madison statistics show marijuana use on campus is lower than some students might think, according to a Policy Alternatives Community Education survey. According to the PACE survey, 25 percent of students admitted to smoking marijuana in the last month. "The number one drug of choice on campus is really alcohol, but for students that use marijuana, the typical frequency is about once a month or less," said Wendy Janosik, senior counselor specializing in addictions at the University Health Services Counseling and Consultation Services. Janosik noted students who "wake and bake" are in a "different league" than students who smoke marijuana socially and less frequently. The PACE survey revealed approximately 10 percent of students on campus abstain from alcohol completely, while approximately 58 percent of the remaining students usually binge when drinking. UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health Pharmacology professor June Dahl said marijuana may adversely affect students' academic performances due to the mood altering elements and substances. Dahl cites drowsiness, impaired thinking, learning capability and slower reaction times as possible negative affects of marijuana. The PACE survey concluded drinking causes approximately 33 percent of students to miss a class and 30 percent to get behind in schoolwork. Though Janosik said drinking is more prevalent among students than smoking, she warned marijuana addictions can "sneak in" over time. Because alcohol causes violent actions, Janosik said alcoholics realize their addictions sooner. Alcoholics are forced to confront their problem, while marijuana users move "further along in their dependence." Dahl said there is no conclusive evidence directly linking marijuana to lung cancer but smoking marijuana may lead to tobacco use, a drug that has been proven to increase the risk for lung cancer. "There are more carcinogenic hydrocarbons in marijuana than in nicotine containing cigarettes," Dahl said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake