Majority of Hudson Valley students have tried marijuana, survey finds

Durgin McCue

News Editor

A recent anonymous study conducted by the Hudsonian found that 57 percent of the Hudson Valley students surveyed have smoked marijuana at some point in their life.

Some of the students around campus were surprised by the statistic. “That’s crazy,” said Feaston Raymond, a biological science major. “I was expecting it to be higher, like 80 percent.”

Raymond, a Hudson Valley student athlete, thinks that the rate is probably lower among student athletes.

“As marijuana grows to become more popular, I think there will be more people on campus who have smoked,” said Elijah Camp, an individual studies major. “Those statistics are right about what I would expect.”

Two other questions on the survey asked students whether they had smoked marijuana in the last 30 days and in the last 7 days. The survey found that 29 percent of the students surveyed had smoked marijuana in the last 30 days, and 28 percent had smoked in the last 7 days.

Another question on the survey specifically asked those surveyed if they had smoked marijuana on Apr. 20. Frequently called 4-20, Apr. 20 has become a day of celebration for some who smoke marijuana. 27 percent of the students surveyed reported that they had smoked marijuana on April. 20th.

The final question on the survey asked, “Do you favor the legalization of marijuana?” 70 percent answered “yes” to this question, making those who believe marijuana should be legalized an overwhelming majority. 20 percent responded “No,” 9 percent said they were unsure, and 1 percent abstained from answering.

“That’s really surprising,” said Raymond. “I thought it would just be the 57 percent who have smoked.”

Others are not surprised by the statistic because of the growing movement in favor of the legalization of marijuana.

“I feel like most people are indifferent at this point,” said Jake Kamen, an engineering science major. “But I think people sometimes support the [legalization] movement even if they don’t smoke marijuana.”

There have been incidents involving individuals smoking or possessing marijuana on Hudson Valley’s campus. One such incident occurred on Oct. 10 of the fall semester. A student was reported to be smoking marijuana at a bus stop. A public safety officer reported to the scene and confiscated the suspect’s remaining marijuana without incident.

According to a Public Safety incident report, the responding officer informed the suspect that if he lied to him about marijuana use, he could be expelled from Hudson Valley.