Introduction

With the epidemic of college binge drinking, marijuana's widespread acceptance and legalization and the revolution in tobacco smoking that stems from new technology; it is an incredibly interesting time to observe the sociological relevance of drugs, especially among young people, the mentally ill and minorities.

This report will examine some of the most relevant social issues surrounding each of the three following substances: alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis. Since each drug is used differently and provides different benefits or damages to their users; each substance will feature their own sections that will examine them specifically.

Some of the most relevant issues surrounding drug use today include its connection with mental health, racial bias in drug arrests, tobacco re-legislation, the controversy surrounding the drinking age, medical marijuana, and drug-related violence, the Cleary Act, crime or overdose; and, specifically, the sociology that draws the line between self-medication and drug abuse/misuse.

Furthermore, I believe it is important to observe these drugs in a national context as well as a local context. For this reason, I interviewed TCNJ students and staff to get real insight into what drug-use is like on a local level.

Examining drug use through multiple lenses is imperative to understanding the complex issue. For this reason, I have included examinations of the social, psychological, physical and legal contexts of the "big three" substances of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis on the collegiate, state and national level.

The influx of federal funding essential means that universities are financially dependent on the government. This fact has a whole host of consequences. In regards to alcohol, one of the biggest ramifications of recent federal refunding is the implementation of the Clery Act. The act was named after Lehigh College student: Jeanne Clery. According to the StudentAid, Jeanne was murdered in her campus dorm building prompting the federal government to pass an act in her honor.

Alcohol at TCNJ

According to the TCNJ website the three Standards of Social and Behavioral Expectations are as follows

1. Comply fully with local, state, and federal laws and regulations and the TCNJ Student Conduct Code regarding alcohol and other drug use
2. Recognize and acknowledge the potentially harmful or negative effects of alcohol and other drug abuse or misuse and lend assistance to others in need of help due to a problem relating to these issues


3. Seek the appropriate consultation and/or treatment for personal concerns regarding alcohol and/or other drug abuse or misuse.

These standards seem to be pretty common on college campuses. For the most part, colleges are bound to follow federal rules and regulations as the majority of colleges (public and private) receive at least some funding from the government according to an article published in Inside Higher Ed by Kellie Woodhouse. In her article, she underscores the shift in college funding.

Clery at TCNJ

I sat down with a group of TCNJ students to get their input on TCNJ's alcohol policies. The first of which is a junior fine art major Cara, who I met within the art building after one of her classes.

"It makes sense to me," Cara commented on TCNJ's alcohol policy, "I think reporting the amount of drug or liquor crimes helps students get a good idea of the campus environment. I actually think that this could be a really useful tool for freshman applying to colleges. I wish I had known that this information was so readily available. It's not like I wouldn't have chosen TCNJ. It just would have been very valuable information for me; especially as a woman."

I asked Cara to elaborate on the significance of being a woman in relation to her answer.

"Alcohol is a huge part of so many sex crimes" she explained, "I used to work for AVI at TCNJ and the alcohol-related cases we learned about were downright horrifying."

"Overall, I think the Clery Act is a great way to gain information on a college that you might not be able to find on the admissions website. It's important we hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable and certainly record if alcohol or any other substance had a role to play in the crime. "

Another student, Kendall, a junior business major, had a different experience with TCNJ's alcohol policies.

"I don't really drink. I had one bad night and now it's going to haunt me" she said in reference to an event that occurred her sophomore year. "I had come back from a small party hosted by my business fraternity."

When Kendall got back from the party she threw up in a trash can on her floor in Decker. Little did she know; a CA had seen her.

"It was horrifying just waiting for the police." She said, "I just had to sit in my room with the CA, knowing what was going to happen. I was coherent. I wasn't sober but I certainly wasn't recklessly drunk. I threw up because I don't drink so much. That apparently was enough to charge me."

Kendall was issued a summons for underage consumption of alcohol which currently remains on her record.

"I know one day I can get it expunged, but it still makes me really nervous. I don't know what I would tell an employer if they were to ask. I want to go into business and I fear this will make me look really unprofessional" commented Kendall on the experience.

Cannabis in College

Unlike alcohol, cannabis laws differ from state to state. In the U.S. the federal drinking age is 21. Any person in America can consume alcohol in the privacy of their own.

Cannabis, however, is a completely different story.

Some states have medical marijuana, while other states have recreational marijuana while other states don't have anything at all.

Furthermore, some states consider possession a felony and the criminals who commit these felonies often end up in jail. Other states have decriminalized possession and therefore would only receive a small ticket as punishment.

The drastic legal, social and political views on cannabis make it difficult to generalize about or draw any conclusions on.

However, what is consistent across the board is the federal government's stance on cannabis. As of December 2017, cannabis is a Schedule I Drug according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Cannabis in New Jersey

Cannabis legalization is currently one of the most talked about social issues in the nation; however, a particularly strong conversation is developing in New Jersey.

The current governor Chris Christie has staunchly opposed marijuana legalization resulting in persisting mandatory minimums for marijuana possession and what State Assemblywoman Linda Stender described as "broken", according to an NJ.com article

According to an article published in Bussiness Insider, Governor Christie stated that proponents of marijuana legalization "crazy liberals" who want to "poison our kids." In the same speech, he referred to the movement for legalization as "beyond stupid." Furthermore, Christie referred to his own state's medical marijuana program as "a front for legalization."

Overall, Christie's lack of support has left New Jersey with what multiple outlets refer to as the countries worst state-run medical marijuana program. The impact directly affects patients who, at one point, faced a $500 price tag for one ounce of marijuana; half of the generally allocated recommendation in the state, according to CBS News.

However, the state is currently experiencing a major shift in the government that will almost certainly impact marijuana legislation in the state.

The governor-elect, Phil Murphy, has pledged to legalize marijuana during his first 100 days in office which is estimated to create a 1.3 billion dollar industry in the state, according to NJ.com. Murphy has acknowledged the potential economic benefits of legalizing marijuana but has made it clear that it is not his main motivating factor for legalization.

During a campeign speech in June, Murphy elaborated on his rational and specific goals for New Jersey marijuana reform.

"The criminalization of marijuana has only served to clog our courts and cloud people’s futures, so we will legalize marijuana and while there are financial benefits, this is overwhelmingly about doing what is right and just.”

Additionally, Murphy pledged to end the long-standing problems of mass incarceration and “eliminate prisons for profit.”

History of Tobacco: America's Favorite Drug

Tobacco has existed in America before the pilgrims even settled on the continent. According to CNN, Native Americans apparently cultivated the plant and smoked it in pipes for medicinal and ceremonial purposes. It was not until 1612 that the British found commercial success with the crop on the colony of Virgina. In under a decade, Tobacco became the colony's chief export and would continue to be a staple of the American economy until the current day.

In fact, Tobacco would become so integral to the American economy that in 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, tobacco helped finance the revolution by serving as collateral for loans the Americans borrowed from France.

Tobacco became integral to American culture as the United States asserted itself as an international superpower. In 1836 the first major criticisms about tobacco came to light, however, the U.S. Department of Health failed to warn the public about the dangers of tobacco for over a century. In 1957, Surgeon General Leroy E. Burney publically affirmed that "prolonged cigarette smoking was a causative factor in the etiology of lung cancer."

Tobacco use has been on a steady decline since then; however, with new technology such as Juls, Blu Pens, and other vaporizers; tobacco use is far more accessible and socially acceptable.

Tobacco Use in New Jersey and at TCNJ

Recently, TCNJ has proposed a smoke-free campus. Current TCNJ bylaws state that students can consume tobacco "outside buildings at a distance greater than 10 feet from building entrances, openings, or air intakes." Smokers can be viewed somewhere at TCNJ campus at nearly any time of day. TCNJ has recently begun asking the campus community if a future as a smoke-free campus is something we collectively would be interested in. Although no final actions are being made right now; the administration is trying to best understand the needs and wants of students and staff (smokers and non-smokers alike)

With the recent debate surrounding tobacco use at TCNJ as a jumping-off point, I decided to speak to members of the TCNJ community on how drug use on campus effects those and those around them.

"I know it sounds ridiculous but I think that part of having an inclusive campus is allowing tobacco smokers to smoke on campus," says Cara, junior fine arts major. "I am addicted to a substance, I know that. I also know it's not good for me but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be allowed to smoke on campus."

Another student I spoke with, Cameron, a sophomore psychology major had a slightly different view. "I'm a smoker and I don't think that smoking should be allowed on campus. We shouldn't risk exposing non-smokers to the second-hand smoke, it's not fair. Smokers, including myself, should go off campus to smoke it's not that hard."

New Jersey has recently made the legal age for tobacco use 21; and unlike other similar drinking legislation in the past, did not include a grandfather clause. Meaning that nineteen and twenty-year-olds who previously could purchase tobacco products no longer can.

"That, I think, is unfair," says Cameron. "I actually think its a good idea to raise the smoking age; even though I started smoking before I turned twenty-one; I feel like a big part of why I started is because of how accessible cigarettes were to me."

"I think its unfair too," Cara says. "A lot of my friends who smoke, smoke because they have anxiety and cigarettes or vapes provide relief. I don't think it is a coincidence that nearly all of my friends who are mentally ill smoke tobacco in some form while my few friends who aren't mentally ill never smoke. I do find it to be discrimination to an extent."

This brought up an important question in examining tobacco use at TCNJ, and in general: is tobacco use self-medicating.

"I have mixed feelings on that," says Cameron, "We all know its bad for you, there is no argument like there is with cannabis, but it does help me and a lot of my friends with anxiety. The mental health benefit might make it medicinal in a sense."

"I don't think its medicinal but I think the fact that so many of my anxious friends smoke means that there is a connection there. It helps them in some way. I know it helps me in some way too. But I know that its bad. There are no questions in my mind about that" commented Cara on the topic.

Cara then said something that seemed to be incredibly important in regards to drug use and self-mediciation. "Now that I think about it; all of my friends who smoke are a minority in some sense."

Research does support Cara's observation that drug use is especially strong in minority communities. Sexual minorities seem to be one of the main minority groups that often find comfort in drug use and often times fall into drug abuse.

According to the Center for American Progress, men who have same-sex relationships are 3.5 times as likely to consume marijuana, 9.5 likely as likley to take heroin and 12.2 time more likeley to consume amphetamines; compared to men who haven’t had same sex relationships." Mark Forest, Interim AVP for Health and Wellness and the Director of CAPS commented on this statistic.

"As you know, substance abuse is a problem nationally within many different groups and subcultures." Forst begins, "However, data do seem to suggest that the LGBTQ+ community report higher rates of drug, alcohol and tobacco use than that of the straight community. I think there are several reasons for this including prejudice towards LGBTQ+ individuals, discrimination, abuse, harassment, rejection (even from one's own family), lack of cultural competency in the healthcare system and often a lack of peer support" commented Forest on the stigmas that may drive minority and LGBTQ+ youth in particular to use substances.

"People often self-medicate with substances to alleviate stress, anxiety, feelings of depression - or simply to forget about problems for awhile." continues Forest.

The Center for American Progress says that there are three main reasons for higher rates of substance use in the LGBTQ+ communities:

1. First, many gay and transgender people live with a high level of stress that comes from social prejudice and discriminatory laws in areas of daily life such as employment, relationship recognition, and health care.


2. Second, a lack of cultural competency in the health care system discourages gay and transgender people from seeking treatment for substance abuse, and—if they do seek help—often leads to inappropriate or irrelevant services.


3. Finally, targeted marketing efforts by alcohol and tobacco companies exploit the connection many gay and transgender people have to bars and clubs as safe spaces for socializing and increase easy access to tobacco products and alcohol.

I agree with these reasons and would only add that mental health and substance abuse services for LGBTQ+ individuals need to be both sensitive to the factors mentioned above and work extra hard to make their services accessible and welcoming.

Conclusions

It is truly a watershed time to be a teenager in New Jersey. Some teens in this country are in the bizarre position where they can legally acquire marijuana due to their patient staus but cannot purchase alcohol or cigarettes. Last month, any person older than 19 could buy cigarettes but the times are changing and collectively, society is becoming less tolerant of tobacco smoking and more tolerant of cannabis smoking.

Furthermore, the drinking age of twenty-one continues to be quietly debated while the battle for legal marijuana rages on and cigarette use seems to be a particularly volatile issue on the TCNJ campus.

Regardless of what type of changes are going to happen, one thing is certain: change will happen. Collectively, our societies conversations about drug use, abuse and self-medication are becoming much louder.

Going into 2018, the United States; and more specifically NJ is bound to see major drug reform, at least to some degree. How it will happen and when it will happen is yet to be seen, but it certainly will.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue; the fact that the dialogue is becoming more open is a positive.

Although it is unlikely that the entire nation will ever agree on what is acceptable drug use and what isn't, a future where individuals are allowed to voice their opinions in a free and open sense harkens back to the principals of freedom that America was founded on.