I smoked my first joint the day after I got into Harvard. My friends had all been massive stoners for nearly two years, but considering my strict parents and highly studious nature, I was afraid that weed would stunt my academic progress. It would hurt my grades, meaning I wouldn’t get into a good college, meaning I wouldn’t get a good job. My life would be interminably ruined, all because of one puff of Mary Jane. Walking the streets of my big city, I was taught to turn my nose up and scoff with superiority whenever I saw or smelled anyone smoking weed. Basically, that shit was scary.
Weed is widely stigmatized in our society. People who smoke are oftentimes seen as lazy, stupid, or “less than.” With my closest friends around me, hands shaking and internally petrified, I took my first hit of a joint in celebration of my Harvard acceptance. Within 10 minutes, I noticed my eyes itching and my mouth getting drier. The first thing I ever did while high was build a castle out of Magna Tiles. And ever since that day, I’ve smoked weed more days than not. In his movie Pineapple Express, notorious stoner Seth Rogen said it best: “Everyone likes smoking weed, they have for thousands of years and aren’t going to stop anytime soon.”
Weed was not always stigmatized in society. Cannabis is one of the oldest plants in medicine, with its earliest use recorded in 2737 BCE by Chinese Emperor Shen Nung as a treatment for gout, rheumatism, malaria, and poor memory. Accounts from Pliny the Elder, the most prominent Roman scientific authority of his time, describe cannabis as a useful medical tool to relieve pain. In the United States, marijuana was openly sold in pharmacies and was a popular ingredient in medicine up until the late nineteenth century. An influx of Mexican immigrants then introduced recreational marijuana use in the U.S. in the early 20th century.
Today, it seems that many people take issue with recreational marijuana use. Even in the face of scientific evidence that marijuana is no worse for the human body than a substance like alcohol, weed is treated very differently. Whereas people spend thousands of dollars collecting wine and routinely order an alcoholic beverage at every meal, talking about weed is largely considered taboo. According to Pew Research Center, 41% of Americans are opposed to marijuana legalization for recreational use. A University of Amsterdam study found that stigma around cannabis is higher in countries with harsher penalties for its use, and America’s harsh marijuana policies compared to countries like Germany and the Netherlands correspond with drastically worse public opinion on marijuana.
American marijuana policy has a very dark history. Cannabis was legal in the U.S. until the 1930s, when Harry Anslinger, the first chair of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, came into office. Coming off of the end of prohibition, Anslinger’s position was out of the spotlight, and after dismissing cannabis on record as unworthy of attention some years prior, he latched onto cannabis as a means to put himself in a position with more power.
Anslinger was known for his use of racist rhetoric and used his agenda against marijuana to target minorities. The Cato Institute writes, “He worried that allowing Blacks to use marijuana could have horrible consequences, such as encouraging their purported lusting after white women. He had been told of ‘colored students at the University of Minnesota partying with female students (white)…Result: pregnancy.’” His efforts were ultimately successful, and marijuana was outlawed in 1937.
It remained illegal, even after a congressional commission in the 70s recommended that “the possession of mari[j]uana for personal use no longer be an offense,” and that the “casual distribution of small amounts of mari[j]uana for no remuneration, or insignificant remuneration, no longer be an offense,” citing its non-addictive nature and limited potential as a gateway drug. Despite marijuana heading towards federal legalization, Ainslinger’s impact and the discriminatory and classist rhetoric around marijuana are still felt to this day. There are still 40,000 people in prison for weed-related crimes and, in keeping with the discriminatory history that comes with marijuana, Black people are over 3.5 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people.
Weed is very accepted at Harvard. At first, I chalked this up to college students’ general willingness to experiment with different substances, but I was surprised at how uncommon weed was when I visited a friend who goes to a state school in the Midwest, especially considering the school’s renowned drinking culture. Instead, the cause is more likely to be Harvard’s politically left-leaning student body, as well as weed’s legal status in Massachusetts along with most of the East Coast (despite the fact that it’s illegal to smoke weed underage, regardless of the state). Obviously, it’s harder to get weed in places where it is illegal on a statewide level, meaning that many of these students may not have ever tried weed.
That notion would be consistent with findings related to weed use in general. According to the Pew Research Center, while only 34% of people who believe in marijuana legalization say they have never tried the substance, 71% of those who advocate against legalization say they have never tried the drug. Historical, irrational fears of marijuana might have played a large part in many of these students staying away from weed, thus exacerbating misinformation about the drug’s strength and effects.
At Harvard, however, this stigma doesn’t really exist. Given the privilege of being students at the most prestigious academic institution in the country juxtaposed with weed’s long history of racism and classism, there are ironically a lot of stoners at Harvard. Weed has served as a great way to meet new people, especially in my first few weeks here. I’ve met some of my closest friends here by smoking with them late at night, whether it be after a party or a long night of studying.
There’s something about being high that creates an inexplicable feeling of community—in my own experience, I’ve found myself to be more thoughtful and kind when I’m high. Despite the fact that during a cyph one person typically provides the weed that everyone smokes, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone ask for payment in return. It’s an unspoken rule that weed is meant to be shared, and stoners are just as willing to supply as they are to smoke other people’s weed.
Change is definitely coming. The majority of Americans believe marijuana should be legalized, which reflects a growing recognition of its safety and benefits compared to other substances. As our society continues to evolve and more research is conducted, the historical social stigma associated with weed is likely to diminish further. Ultimately, the future of marijuana might see it regarded as no different than a glass of wine at dinner.
As we move forward, it is important to ensure that we focus not only on the economic and medical implications of marijuana legalization but also on the social justice aspects, helping rectify the historical injustices associated with marijuana prohibition. In the end, just as my perceptions on weed were changed by education and experience, society’s views are changing as well. The more we discuss, research, and share experiences with weed, the quicker we can eliminate the pervasive stigma that goes hand in hand with marijuana.
The author, after concluding this article, exited Cabot Library and sparked a joint on the Science Center Plaza.