I turned 18 and left the bottle of Pink Whitney in the past. When I got to college, I was excited by the idea of independence — of being able to do whatever I wanted, knowing that my parents weren’t waiting up for me at home. I would stay out with my friends, drinking all night, getting back to our dorms and falling asleep as the sun came up.
But nights out began to feel routine. We went to the same bars, were constantly crashed into by the same sweaty frat boys, and I ended up burning out faster and faster. Suddenly, I was routinely Ubering home alone at midnight, and I realized this was an utter waste of my time.
I came home feeling drained and broke, and I spent the rest of my weekend hungover and annoyed with myself. I understand that some people don’t experience this, and some may even look forward to a late night out on the town. I don’t enjoy the atmosphere of just dancing for hours with no conversation.
If I’m going to be inebriated, I want to be high, laughing with my friends and chatting through slurred words. Honestly, I probably started smoking weed a little too young, but of course, I never felt “too young” in the moment. Every once in a while, you’ll catch me and my friends out, but more likely than not, we’re all in our pajama pants, lighting up and watching a movie.
Because the routine of drinking and recovering has become so ingrained in many people’s social lives — and smoking and hanging out in mine — I didn’t realize that other people’s perceptions of weed culture were so different from my own. I had asked my roommate, “When you think of a ‘stoner,’ what type of person do you picture?”
She guffawed, knowing it was for my article, and rambled on with adjectives describing a guy wearing a beanie covering his shaggy hair and lots of layers of hoodies or flannels. “I guess I picture someone who just doesn’t really care about anything,” she said.
Was this how everyone saw me? Had I tarnished my clean slate college gave me and given myself a reputation of being lazy? Without giving away any identities, I can confidently say I know a lot of very driven and productive people who still roll up and let their troubles go sometimes. I don’t think I even know anyone who smokes that fits the description my roommate gave me. Are they the exception to the rule, or is the rule just completely made up?
In my opinion, the stoner stereotype has dissipated as weed has become more normalized through legalization efforts throughout the country. You no longer can look at someone and immediately know if they’re a stoner — and that’s a good thing.
A 2024 study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science studied the behaviors and emotional states of 260 recreational users who smoked weed at least three times a week, tracking apathy and motivation levels throughout various activities. The study found no significant difference, uncovering that “participants were just as willing and motivated to complete a task when they were high as when they were sober.” While subjects were slightly less likely to do tasks that made them feel upset, there was no less motivation or willingness to challenge themselves while high.
However, when we look into the effects of alcohol on the brain, it can negative affect our productivity. When intoxicated, our cognitive abilities and the capacity to assess information and situations accurately are limited, resulting in illogical conclusions and unwise decisions. For college students, this means that we may ignore risks and make mistakes that ultimately negatively affect productivity. Drinking alcohol is also associated with restrictions to creativity and problem-solving abilities, hindering productivity and innovation both in projects and among teams.
Overall, weed doesn’t come with these drawbacks. While society points the finger at stoners for being unproductive or lazy, we should be equally critical of “party people” and drinking culture, which, in college, is so deeply ingrained in our social fabric that the negative qualities associated with the stoner stereotype do not apply. So no, I don’t think getting high now and then makes me some burnt-out, unmotivated mess — or anyone else, unless that’s the vibe you’re going for (in which case, power to you). The stoner stereotype is seriously outdated.
These days, it’s less “I forgot what day it is” and more “I’m high-functioning and high, simultaneously.” I mean, I’ve seen my friends crush internship interviews, submit 15-page papers and perfectly roll a joint — all in the same day. If that’s not productivity, I don’t know what is. However, I don’t see my friends who prefer drinking finish a paper while drunk, and I don’t think that would end as well because of how alcohol affects our brain and perception of things.
We’re not lounging around in tie-dye mumbling about the universe (well, not all the time). More often than not, we’re in sweatpants, eating popcorn way too loudly and arguing over which movie to watch for the hundredth time. And yeah, sometimes we light up first — but that just makes the debate over “The Lion King” vs. “Tangled” all the more intense.
I’m still figuring it all out — how to chase dreams, be responsible, stay grounded and occasionally get a little lifted. But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that enjoying weed doesn’t cancel out ambition, and a good laugh with your friends can be just as important as a night out. Maybe even better — especially if there are snacks involved.
Mia Kirisits is a freshman majoring in psychology.
Views expressed in the opinions pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece that represents the view of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the staff editorial.