I want to thank the individual who started the conversation about students’ use of marijuana at WHS during school. It is essential to shed light on and spread awareness on this topic. Marijuana usage at WHS is a day-to-day occurrence. I cannot speak for others; I am comfortable saying that, yet in my opinion, it’s turning into a problem. I know I am not alone in feeling uncomfortable discussing this issue. This subject is exceptionally touchy because either way, your peers will judge you for your choices (whether you choose to smoke during school or not). It is challenging to have one, but addressing it is a conversation we need to have.

An ongoing problem I seem to have is limited time to use the bathroom (specifically in between classes or during break) and not having the ability to–as multiple people occupy the stalls, smoking/vaping (most of the time it’s multiple people per stall too). It’s important to emphasize that this is still an issue during classes and lunch, just more prominent during breaks and time between classes.

Some may argue there is always a line for the bathroom, but it is frustrating when the line is held up/slowed down due to smoking/vaping in the bathroom. It aggravates the students who are trying to use their time efficiently between classes and want to get to their next class on time. Comparatively speaking, this is by far not the most significant issue here at WHS. However, it is an inconvenience, and it can easily be solved or managed.

I also wanted to include my experience with friends who started making choices that I disagreed with. I never thought that getting high would be a good idea, let alone getting high at school. Because of sports and personal values, staying sober is important to me. Additionally, I have seen what it looks like for people to be high at school. For example, one of my peers uses marijuana at school and openly talks about her lack of motivation and decreased concentration in classes while under the influence.

I respect others and their decisions, regardless of understanding their thought process. However, I feel like I do not receive the same respect back, especially with my former friends. When I opened up to them about how I was not interested in smoking, especially at school, I felt very invalidated. At the time, I felt excluded, foolish, and not valued as their friend. Looking back, I don’t regret adhering to my values. As scientific research on marijuana continues, my value for school and health has and will continue to come first.

As most of us know, high school is when you are trying to find your people, but most importantly, yourself—facing issues that may lead you to question your morals or what you want for yourself. My main takeaway from this is that people will judge you for your choices in life no matter what they are, so you might as well do what makes you happy and stay true to your worth.

Connecting back to the idea of marijuana use in school: although I somewhat understand the appeal of using marijuana to relieve stress or calm you down during school, school is not the right environment for using drugs. School is stressful at times for everyone, but there are many other paths rather than marijuana.

If you or someone you know is in a place where they are reliant on drugs and struggle to get through the school day without them, please consider reaching out for help. See the resource below.

https://americanaddictioncenters.org/marijuana-rehab/quit-marijuana
SAMHSA National Helpline:
1-800-662-4357