Haze & Blue
Recreational legalization and cannabis culture in Ann Arbor
—By Alex Andersen and Drew Tallquist
A colder, grey-skied day finds two men in an unlit room. They sit on red lawn chairs, facing the window, while a tall fan blows nearby. The man on the right is preparing to initiate an interview on his laptop, and readies his smartphone to record the conversation. As he presses the “Record” button, the man on the left, in the most well-timed of moments, begins taking a gurgling hit from a bong freshly-packed with marijuana. “That was a perfect start,” the man on the right laughed to GD, the man on the left.
GD, a soon-to-be college senior, is just one of hundreds of students at the University of Michigan who consume marijuana. Also referred to as “pot,” “cannabis,” “dope,” and more, marijuana is a plant-turned-drug that has a controversial history in the United States. Nowadays (fortunately for some), the substance is becoming more accepted in the nation: seventeen states and the District of Columbia have laws legalizing recreational marijuana sales and use, with more solely legalizing medicinal marijuana or decriminalizing any category. Among the “legal” states is Michigan, which legalized recreational marijuana in November 2018.
Besides the state’s legalization status, other factors contribute to the culture of cannabis in Ann Arbor. Students might be observed consuming throughout their day or in specific time frames; they might indulge in products from dispensaries or seek from individual dealers. Of course, like several aspects to being a student at U-M, the choice to consume is a calculation: a calculation comprising motivations, economic benefits, personal well-being, stigma, University policy, and personal unwell-being. How do these factors compare, and what influence do they manifest for U-M students?
Why Weed?
Students at the University of Michigan, undergraduates to alumni, consume marijuana for varying reasons. “It helps me relax and take my mind off things,” says Wolv, a 2019 U-M graduate. GD agrees, adding that “it eliminates boredom a lot of the time. With COVID, especially, it’s something to do.”
Research has shown that medical marijuana has significant benefits across the board, from reducing chronic pain, to managing alcohol and opioid addiction, to coping with anxiety and depression. It has been found to reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, combat side effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients, such as nausea, and even to decrease risk of seizures in people with epilepsy.
There’s also research suggesting some negative health outcomes related to marijuana use, including exacerbated mental health problems, side effects in children being treated with CBD, and potentially respiratory disease; however, research is still somewhat inconclusive about these longer-term consequences of medical marijuana use.
Despite the side effects, cannabis has overall been regarded as an effective form of medication, though one in need of further research.
Why Not Weed?
While marijuana is the second most commonly used mind-altering substance in the U.S., after alcohol, it has been shown to have a plethora of negative effects for all users. It can be harmful both short-term and in the long-run; it may interfere with short-term memory, reaction time, judgement, and mood. As a result, marijuana users have higher rates of car crashes than their non-user counterparts. They may engage in more unprotected sex, increasing the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease. It may even be a source of long-term memory loss and lung problems.
For students, the negative effects of marijuana use may interfere with school, as marijuana interferes with one’s ability to focus and direct attention. Student athletes are affected even more, as performance may be altered by decreased coordination and poorer timing. Concerns about impacts on academic and athletic performance are why most major universities drug test their athletes for marijuana.
Younger populations, or those 25 and under, are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of marijuana, as the brain is still developing. Marijuana use during this period of life may result in lower IQ; long-term changes to the brain related to learning, memory, and attention; mental health problems like anxiety and depression; and decreased academic performance.
Dr. Lara Coughlin, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan, helps conduct research for the U-M Addiction Center, a program that works on prevention, treatment, research, and training related to addiction. She mainly focuses on alcohol and cannabis, working with Dr. Maureen Walton and Dr. Erin Bonar on studies that examine social media platforms as interventions for harm reduction.
Dr. Coughlin notes that some marijuana users, though not all, may develop a use disorder, which she defines as “a pattern of use of cannabis that is interfering with daily life and causing distress.” Cannabis use disorder is associated with a variety of symptoms, including things like cannabis cravings, increased use, higher dosages required to achieve the same effect (increased tolerance), and using for longer than intended. People may even develop withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, insomnia, anxiety and depression, and decreased appetite.
From a clinical perspective, Dr. Coughlin recommends that individuals using cannabis keep an eye on their patterns of consumption as well as warning signs and escalated use.
The Pluses of Puffing
“There isn’t really a difference [between recreational and medical marijuana],” explains Christian Hopfer, MD, in an interview for WedMD. “Medical marijuana is just marijuana that a doctor has recommended.”
There are several reasons why people use marijuana recreationally. Some people may use it to ease symptoms of anxiety and depression, without clinical diagnoses or prescriptions.
Others use it for personal enjoyment and not just for health reasons. It can help people relax in social settings, making them more enjoyable experiences. It can help others feel motivated to do chores; marijuana has different effects for everyone. More generally, when marijuana is used socially and recreationally, it can be incorporated into one’s daily life without the associated negative consequences, improving overall quality of living.
Marijuana is even used for spiritual reasons in some cultures and communities, helping those individuals to achieve a state of reflection and enlightenment. It may lead some people to feel more connected to nature and others around them.
Thus, the benefits of and reasons for using recreational marijuana are not just measured through physical health but can also be examined through a more holistic lens of mental, social, and spiritual health.
The Stigma of Smoking (and Other Methods)
As it sounds, there are some students at the University who choose to limit their consumption of cannabis, and another sum that does not consume at all. Why might this be?
Marijuana, much like every other drug and influential substance, has a history of legal and societal disapproval in the United States. Following the Mexican Revolution in 1910, thousands of Mexican immigrants came to the nation, bringing with them the hobby of recreational marijuana; as a result, fear and prejudice toward the newcomers and their pastime spread throughout the country. Over time, while individual states moved to decriminalize or legalize “grass” within their territories, the stigma associated with the plant expanded substantially.
Two commonly-considered stigmatic factors are parents’ disapproval and job-searching. Considering the decades-long hatred of marijuana in the United States (with the decades-long War on Drugs between the 1960s and 1990s to top it off), individuals raised in this era may be compelled to oppose marijuana use based on cultural and/or religious nurture. “My family considers it a ‘sinful activity,’” notes Wolv. However, not every parent shares the perspective; some are at least indifferent, possibly happy to hear of their children’s choice to consume. Despite a non-negative reaction, students may continue to keep their secret confidential. GD, for example, did not share the news of his use with his family for a considerable time. “I just didn’t need them to know,” he said. “When they found out, they didn’t care and nothing changed. I guess I felt a little awkward talking about it.”
For college students, job-searching can also have a stigmatic effect. A substantial portion of firms and companies requires drug testing during the hiring process. Drug tests, as expected, tend to look for traces of THC, the chemical in marijuana responsible for the hallucinogenic, “trippy” effect. Hiring entities, notably government agencies, may additionally instill a time policy, where individuals applying will not be considered if they consume substances like marijuana within a certain period of time (e.g., the Federal Bureau of Investigation requires no cannabis consumption for at least three years prior to the point of application). Such policies are common in full-time jobs and internships in public sector areas; therefore the average U-M student would most likely make this consideration if choosing to consume.
Marijuana and Racial Injustice
The criminalization of marijuana throughout past decades has disproportionately affected people of color. From prejudice toward Mexican immigrants mentioned previously to the incarceration of BIPOC, possession and use of marijuana has long been a behavior used to reinforce racist policies created and upheld by white people. The War on Drugs, specifically marijuana, has historically targeted communities of color and is a major contributor to the systematic mass incarceration of people of color.
In fact, people of color are nearly 6 times more likely to be arrested for drug-related charges, including marijuana, than white people, even though they use marijuana at roughly the same rates. One argument is that legalization of marijuana may help reduce this injustice.
“From a social equity perspective, [there will be] less stigma about cannabis use, and of course cannabis being decriminalized, which I think is good for the country and the state,” explains Dr. Coughlin.
Others argue that legalization doesn’t solve the issue, as it doesn’t dig deeper to the root of injustice. In fact, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) points out that no states have even seen a decrease in the prison population correlated with legalization. Thus, it will take greater cultural and legal reform to address the issue of injustice in the prison system, one that requires a more comprehensive approach to targeting prejudice and racism.
The University and the Policy
As a well-known institution promoting professional, rigorous academia, it should be no surprise that the University of Michigan instills a no-tolerance policy of marijuana across its entire campus. Under this policy, no student, faculty, staff, or general individual can use marijuana (including edibles and extracts) in any building or on any land owned by the University. What might be surprising is that the University is actually obligated to implement these restrictions.
The Drug Free Schools and Communities Act Amendments in 1989 requires that all institutions of higher education establish policies relating to unlawful possession and use of illicit drugs and alcohol. This, coupled with the fact that U-M receives federal funding, puts the school in a position where violating these criteria would put the University in monetary and legal trouble.
For the university’s population of freshman stoners, the University’s no-tolerance policies creates a conflict: to smoke in the dorms, or to smoke elsewhere. The dorms are convenient, but doing so raises the chances of being caught, either by the Residential staff or DPSS. Smoking elsewhere eliminates the former issue, but, depending on which dorm one is in and their connections through clubs and organizations, finding an alternate location might be unideal. “There weren’t a lot of options,” Wolv reminisced on finding smoke spots. “Parks were fine at night, but there weren’t many around my dorm and I hated walking.”
Hash Bash: A Cultural Force for Legalization
Though marijuana is prohibited on-campus, Ann Arbor locals still attend, rally, and light up at Hash Bash, an Ann Arbor political rally and smoke fest. The festival is held annually on the first Saturday of April and takes place on the Diag of the U-M campus. It hosts crowds of both younger and older generations, with many individuals selling cannabis goods, promoting dispensaries, and playing music, and giving speeches related to marijuana legalization.
Beginning in 1972, Hash Bash represented a broader force of activists pushing the legalization of marijuana, a movement in which Ann Arbor played a key role. It originated as a freedom rally after poet and weed advocate John Sinclair was imprisoned for possession of marijuana. After Sinclair was released and his felony declared unconstitutional, Hash Bash became an annual tradition.
The pivotal movement continues to grow and receive tremendous support, from Michigan’s Gov. Whitmer, who was a speaker at 2018’s event, to U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell in 2019, the first congress member to speak to Hash Bash.
Though this year’s Hash Bash on April 3rd, 2021, was complicated by another year in the Covid-19 pandemic, cannabis enthusiasts and activists still celebrated. Some streamed themselves smoking weed on Facebook, others flocked to the Diag and downtown Ann Arbor in their masks, enjoying the sunny and warming weather.
Cannabis Culture in Ann Arbor
Despite the stigma, somewhat inconclusive medical research on marijuana, and university prohibition, Ann Arbor continues to be a highly pot-friendly city.
Coincidentally named “Tree Town” for its dense forestation, the college town harbors a budding economy for cannabis, with new marijuana dispensaries, bakeries, and even labs popping up around town.
There are significant positive effects of legalization on the economy as well. In 2018, the state of Michigan estimated the marijuana market to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue in 2023 due to the legalization of recreational marijuana. This revenue provides the state with important funding for schools, roads, and local communities.
Despite U-M’s strict policies, the subject of cannabis is being discussed more openly, as seen in the school’s course guide. The School of Pharmacy offers a course called PharmSci420, where professor Gus Rosania teaches about the scientific side of medical marijuana. The course features guest speakers like doctors, pharmacists, lawyers, and even dispensary operators.
The Future of Cannabis
How will the production, use, and regulation of marijuana look in the future?
Dr. Coughlin predicts that it will have a similar trajectory to tobacco. “There is going to be a lot of work done to regulate cannabis,” she said, “and as the field goes forward there will be a lot of movements trying to understand how can we reduce harm for people that are going to dispensaries? How can we help people be informed about the responsible use of products?”
Noting that cannabis is regulated by the FDA, Dr. Coughlin pointed out that we will have to pay greater attention to the labeling of cannabis products, their strength, their recommended use, etc., so that individuals remain informed.
Dr. Coughlin also pointed out that, similar to tobacco, marijuana could potentially be used to target and harm certain populations. Tobacco companies have historically targeted younger populations and African Americans with marketing, thereby worsening health inequities. Dr. Coughlin believes marijuana companies may also “[advertise] cannabis to niche populations in the future and [have] those niche populations suffer as consequence.”
Additionally, increased access to cannabis due to the legalization of recreational marjiuana may increase the rates of disorder use.
In terms of cultural perspectives on marijuana, Dr. Coughlin notes that people already perceive cannabis as less risky than they had before legalization. The national increase in cannabis use parallels legalization patterns.
“People probably think that it’s lower risk, [even when] the potency of products has increased,” explains Dr. Coughlin. While she clarified that this trend cannot necessarily be designated good or bad, as further research on marijuana is needed, Dr. Coughlin noted that it may lead to increased rates of disorder use.
From a production and marketing standpoint, cannabis may have some harmful outcomes and will require increased regulation; however, it may also have positive implications. Legalization may lead to decreased use among teens, decreased crime rates, and positive economic benefits.
While it still faces prohibition by the University and requires greater scientific research, marijuana is continuing to touch hearts and minds alike through legalization and increased popularity.
Cannabis has had its moments in pop culture throughout history, ranging from its presence at Woodstock in the 60s, to the High Times publication in the 70s, to Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic” named after a weed nickname) in 1992. As legalization spreads and pop culture evolves, Marijuana is increasingly being normalized through the media. This effect can be seen in shows like Disjointed on Netflix and in recent R&B and hip hop music videos, nearly half of which depicted smoking or vaping.
The future of marijuana will be shaped not only by scientific research but by political climates and cultural shifts. Cannabis will continue to serve as more than a drug: it will be a historical marker. It will be written not only into legal documents and university policies, but into individual narratives, like that of GD, playing an integrated role in people’s unique experiences.
Featured Image: Marijuana Plant. Photo Credits: Roberto Valdivia via Unsplash.com