Why it’s not the end of the world if you don’t celebrate 4/20

Marijuana; as college students, we all know about it. We’ve sat through class presentation after class presentation listening to all the wonders that legalizing the plant would do for the country. It’s at every party, concert and sunny day out on Beury Beach. Hell, people even walk around Philly toking on the sidewalks ever since it was decriminalized in the city. And, with the new medical marijuana bill being signed into law on Sunday, it’s fair to say that Pennsylvania, like many places throughout the country (and even the world), has really come around on it’s acceptance of the drug recently.

A lot of people are starting to change their outlook on weed since every day it seems more and more information comes out showing its benefits. That being said, there’s one place where the plant has always been accepted with open arms. That place? College. For years young adults have been escaping parental guidance and using college as a way to experiment with sex, drugs and whatever other kinds of trouble they could get themselves in.

Nowadays though, with marijuana gaining more and more support nationally, colleges seem to have become a safe zone for pot smokers. Any view other than 100% emphatic support for legalization seems to immediately get shut down in an argument, and at parties the sentiment is the same. If you choose not to smoke when the blunt comes your way then people often tag you as “that kid.”

I know this because I’ve actually become “that kid” at parties. I’m not saying I’ve never touched the stuff (quite the contrary is true, especially in my younger years), but as I’ve gotten a little older I’ve started to realize that weed and my body don’t like each other all that much. For whatever reason I get just a little too paranoid and have had just one too many not-so-great experiences. So yeah, I’ve totally gotten some weird looks at parties when I politely refuse to partake in the activities presented before me.

A lot of times the pressure of wanting to fit in with the group feels daunting, but in actuality it’s not that bad. If I have time to explain to people why I choose not to then they usually understand, or at the very least are accepting of, my choice. So whatever the reason – you don’t like the way it makes you feel, don’t like the smell, have too many responsibilities – just taking a quick second to tell people why you’d prefer not to smoke can go a long way towards smoothing over those harsh initial judgments of other party-goers.

So why all the pot talk? Well I’m sure you’ve all seen the date today, and once again the stoner holiday is among us again. Being that we live at a very liberal university in a city with decriminalized marijuana, it’s no secret that a large portion of the student population will be partaking in the festivities all day on Wednesday, April 20. The 4/20 holiday is the time when fear of missing out (when it comes to smoking) kicks in the most, but I’m here to tell you that it’s going to be okay. If you don’t like weed, no matter the reason,  then don’t feel the need to smoke on 4/20 just so you can fit in. Look at it like this; there are far worse things that could happen than being the only person not getting stupid-high on a Wednesday afternoon one week before finals.

To all you anxious, paranoid non-pot-smokers like me, let me just say this: 4/20’s not as big of a deal as everyone at college makes it out to be. If someone offers then politely decline and continue going about your day like any other boring Wednesday. And the best part? Everyone who makes fun of you for not smoking on 4/20 will probably get too high to remember any of it ever happened by the time 4/21 rolls around.