The Princeton Review, Ithaca College, a fairly small liberal arts school in central New York, is the number one stoner school in America, even though marijuana is, surprisingly, not yet legalized in New York. Those who attend IC, or those who live in the area, most likely will be able to contend to the accuracy of this rating. However, how many people on campus actually engage in the usage of the drug? Surprisingly, a lot less than one would expect.

If you ask around campus, you’ll find some people who don’t know anyone who doesn’t smoke. But ask around a little more and you’ll come across the surprisingly large population that make a point to stay away from the drug. According to Ithaca’s Counseling and Wellness center, 44% of student’s never smoke weed. Maura Aleardi writes in an article published by The Ithacan that 95% of survey respondents perceived that the typical Ithaca student uses marijuana at least once a month. More realistically, only about 35% of Ithaca students participate in marijuana use in any given past month; however, this is compared to a national average usage of 17%- a whopping 18% difference.

Although the school attempts to address the problem, in the past 10 years, marijuana usage has actually increased by 8% at Ithaca College. Nancy Reynolds, the health promotion center program director, explains that the trends may be explained by higher than average stress levels at the school. These stress levels can be seen in almost 60% of students at IC feeling overwhelming anxiety within the last school year, compared to the national average of about 20% (Aleardi, The Ithacan).
More than drug and marijuana use, Ithaca students also have more alcohol use than average and have more risky sex than other schools. Regardless of Ithaca’s high statistics, the school continues to work hard to prevent this risky behavior. With programs such as BASICS (Balancing Alcohol and Substance Use to Improve College), along with the Medical Amnesty policy, allows students to learn about alcohol and substance abuse, and to be able to safely call for help in a situation without worrying about the judicial consequences.

Aleardi, Maura. "Ithaca College Students Drink and Smoke More than Average." The Ithacan. The Ithacan, 19 Nov. 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.