Marijuana, more commonly known as weed, has been cultivated for thousands of years; the first recorded use being dated back to circa 2737 B.C. Cannabis Sativa is considered to be a Class I narcotic, having mental effects similar to those of a depressant and also having cardiovascular effects similar to those of a stimulant.

    Though marijuana has been illegal in the United States since 1937, due to the federal government passing the Marijuana Tax Act, it doesn’t stop some teenagers at San Benito High School from using it for recreational purposes. Whether these teenagers know the risks they are taking by participating in the consumption of marijuana, one cannot say. One can, however, educate themselves on the matter very easily.

    The possession of marijuana on campus is not taken lightly, and can result in either suspension or expulsion. Due to drug possession on campus in the past, the lockers have been taken away and are only used for P.E. To make the campus a more drug-free environment, the school contacts the local police force once in a while and they bring dogs on campus and have the K-9’s sniff out any drugs that students may be harboring.

    Bill Johnson and Dr. Katherine Foster are teachers in the science department. Johnson teaches Biology at S.B.H.S. and anatomy and physiology at Gavilan Community College in Gilroy.

    He believes that, “any chemical in high amounts has the potential to be carcinogenic” yet he has not heard of any cases of a marijuana death due to an overdose, when a person ingests too much of a substance and the body can’t handle it.

    Johnson said he believes that marijuana should be legalized for recreational use. He says that there have been studies done for excessive tobacco use, and studies done for excessive alcohol use, but there have not been studies done for excessive marijuana use. He believes that people “need to learn from it” as they have learned from tobacco and alcohol.

    Dr. Foster, who teaches anatomy and physiology and health, said that marijuana use causes synaesthesia, which is a distortion of the senses. Other side effects, according to Foster, include harmful effects on one’s short term memory and also on one’s immune system.

    Foster may not see any benefit in recreational marijuana use, but she does believe that it should be legalized. She says that the drug war has become too expensive for the current economy to handle.

    One anonymous student during an interview stated, “I laugh when people say smoking pot makes you stupid; I smoked from freshman year through senior year and graduated with a 4.1. It’s not the drug, it’s the person.”

    This student claims to know the risks they take when using marijuana, having said they mostly smoked on the weekends during their time at San Benito High School. They listed some of the harmful effects marijuana can have on the body to be: damage to the lungs, impaired judgment, laziness, and increase in appetite.

    When asked why they smoke, this student said it helps them view things in a new light. The student continued to say that the fact that marijuana use is illegal did not have any effect on why they chose to use it, nor would it keep them from using it.