Central Connecticut State University

CCSU Counseling and Wellness Center
 205 Marcus White Hall

 

 

Implications for Academic Success
Sustained marijuana use may directly affect academic achievement among college students who may experience increasing difficulty in problem solving and poor long-term memory. Long-term use might also lead to "amotivational syndrome,"10 in which students are unmotivated to be involved in campus life or to achieve academic, career, and personal goals. Long-term use may also lead to a decreased ability to deal with the stress that often accompanies personal growth and achievement in college. It should be noted, however, that whether or not marijuana use causes this syndrome, leads to it, or is merely associated with it has not yet been determined.

Other Causes for Concern
While not everyone becomes addicted to marijuana, in 1995 more than 165,000 people entering drug treatment programs reported marijuana as their primary drug of abuse.12 In addition, withdrawal symptoms from marijuana may cause reactions similar to withdrawal symptoms associated with other drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and alcohol.12

Recent research also indicates that marijuana may alter brain chemicals in a way that makes users particularly vulnerable by priming the brain for other drug use.12 Substance abuse, including marijuana use, is associated with a range of other problems, including violence, HIV infection, and decreased productivity.13

National, state, and local-level policies are aimed at reducing the use of drugs among youth in the United States. These include the Drug-Free Schools and Campuses Act, which requires that institutions of higher education adopt and implement programs to prevent the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of alcohol and other drugs by school students and employees.14 The trend toward increased use of marijuana by college students, as well as teenagers, should be recognized as problematic and addressed by institutions of higher education.

10 American Council for Drug Education. Basic Facts About Drugs: Marijuana (1999); 11 NIDA. (External Site) "Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know."; (External Site) 12 "Not So Benign: New Findings on Marijuana," Prevention File (Winter 1998): 15–17; 13 Pittayathikhun, T.; Ku, R.; Rigby, D.; Mattsson, M.; and DeJong, W. Complying with the Drug-Free Schools and Campuses Regulations [34 CFR Part 86]: A Guide for University and College Administrators (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention, 1997); 14 Drug-Free Schools and Campuses Regulations

 

Main Menu   
 

1615 Stanley Street, New Britain, CT 06050  860.832.CCSU or toll free instate 1-888-733-2278
 
Copyright © 2006 [Central Connecticut State University]. All rights reserved.
webmaster@ccsu.edu
Last Update: Monday January 09, 2006