VOA慢速英语--美国大学生中大麻吸食率上升

Marijuana Use Rising Among US College Students

The college years in the United States are a time for students to experiment. Many U.S. colleges and universities urge their students to explore a variety of ideas, interests and even ways of thinking that may be different or new to them.

Most Americans who go to college usually do so right after high school, when they are away from home for the first time. John Schulenberg believes that because of this separation from family members, some of the experimentation¹ done on college campuses is not healthy.

Schulenberg is a research professor at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. He notes that for years, drug and alcohol use by students has been a big issue at U.S. colleges and universities.

Many movies and television shows present drug and alcohol use as just a normal part of the college experience. Yet Schulenberg told VOA that it has a lasting² effect on students’ overall well-being³.

“The fact is the brain is still growing … through the mid-20s,” he said.

That is why Schulenberg is concerned about evidence of increasing use of the drug marijuana at U.S. colleges and universities. In July, he and a team of researchers published a study. It found that in 2018, marijuana use among college-aged Americans reached the highest level since 1983.

The researchers examined the behavior of about 1,500 young people, between the ages of 18 and 22, after their final year of high school. Almost 1,000 of these men and women were admitted to a college or university, while the rest were not. The study found that about 43 percent of those questioned reported using marijuana sometime during the past year. About 25 percent reported using it sometime within the past month.

Earlier research has suggested links between heavy marijuana use and poor academic performance and mental health issues. But Schulenberg worries more about another finding of the new study. It shows that the number of people vaping marijuana doubled between 2017 and 2018. They use an electronic device, such as an e-cigarette, to combine water vapor⁴ with marijuana. The vapor contains tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, a chemical found naturally in the cannabis plant.

Schulenberg says he has never before seen any form of drug use double in just one year.

The New York Times reports that vaping has been tied to nearly 800 cases of lung disease and at least 14 deaths nationwide. The newspaper also reported that police have arrested producers of thousands of illegal THC-vaping devices in three states.

Delynne Wilcox says there are several reasons why both marijuana use, in general, and vaping are on the rise among young people. She is co-chair of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Coalition⁵ for the American College Health Association.

For one thing, she says, a growing number of states have eased their rules banning marijuana use. This has resulted, in part, from efforts of the marijuana industry to spread the belief that the drug has medical uses.

The immediate⁶ intoxicating⁷ effect of alcohol, as well as the dangers of its overuse, are also clearer than that of marijuana, Wilcox says. So many young people believe that using marijuana is safer than drinking beer or other forms of alcohol.

Schulenberg agrees that more people see marijuana as safe to use. He noted⁸ that in 2018, only 22 percent of 19 to 22-year-olds said using marijuana can be harmful, either physically⁹ or psychologically. In 1995, 75 percent of young people felt that way. And some researchers are looking at ways in which marijuana may help people who are dependent on other, more dangerous drugs.

However, both Schulenberg and Wilcox agree that the science supporting these claims is lacking, as marijuana remains¹⁰ illegal on the national level. So the study of both its possible helpful and harmful qualities is greatly limited.

Wilcox adds that young people are less concerned about the health effects of vaping for the same reasons they are less concerned about marijuana. Some companies have advertised vaporized nicotine¹¹ products as a healthy alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes. They also offer products that taste like fruit or create a pleasant smell.

But Wilcox argues there is hope for the fight to reduce these unhealthy behaviors at U.S. colleges and universities. She says research shows that school policies barring use of drugs and alcohol have been successful. And when it comes to alcohol, heavy drinking among college students has been decreasing in recent years. So there are signs students are more interested in healthy living.

School officials need to strengthen their enforcement of rules governing marijuana and other substances, says Wilcox. They should also seek ways to limit the availability of such drugs, even if they are legal in the surrounding community.

Supporting healthy behavior is also important. Colleges and universities should offer more non-academic activities that are substance-free. The same goes for creating systems that can identify students who might be at risk of substance abuse and offering to help them.

“The longer we can delay the use the better off we’re going to be as a society,” said Wilcox.

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

And I’m Pete Musto.

Words in This Story

variety – n. a number or collection of different things or people

campus(es) – n. the area and buildings around a university, college, school

marijuana – n. the dried leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant that are smoked as a drug

vaping – n. the action or practice of breathing the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device in and out

intoxicating – adj. causing someone to be unable to think and behave normally

psychologically – adv. of or relating to the mind

nicotine – n. a poisonous substance in tobacco that makes it difficult for people to stop smoking cigarettes

alternative – n. something that can be chosen instead of something else

1 experimentation   

n.实验，试验，实验法

参考例句：

• Many people object to experimentation on animals.许多人反对用动物做实验。
• Study and analysis are likely to be far cheaper than experimentation.研究和分析的费用可能要比实验少得多。

2 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

3 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

4 vapor   

n.蒸汽，雾气

参考例句：

• The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
• This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 intoxicating   

a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的

参考例句：

• Power can be intoxicating. 权力能让人得意忘形。
• On summer evenings the flowers gave forth an almost intoxicating scent. 夏日的傍晚，鲜花散发出醉人的芳香。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 nicotine   

n.(化)尼古丁，烟碱

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily.许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily.许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。