The Mesquite Online News - Texas A&M University-San Antonio

Marijuana event sparks awareness

From brownies that won’t get you baked to facts about marijuana’s long-term health effects, an event will kick-start the weekend and school the campus on a drug that has increased in popularity among college students.

The Alcohol and Drug Prevention Committee at Texas A&M University-San Antonio is hosting “420: Got the Munchies?” noon-2 p.m. Friday, April 20, in the Central Academic Building lobby.

The event seeks to raise awareness about the downsides of marijuana use and to educate students about substance abuse.

“420: Got the Munchies?” will include tables with information provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, according to the Office of Student Counseling and Wellness Services. Committee members will be present to educate students about the myths and facts of marijuana use, effects on the brain and the potential dangers of synthetic cannabinoids.

There will be giveaways of koozies, stress balls and fidget spinners in addition to chances to win prizes for answering trivia questions. Students who stop by the 420 table will also receive brownies — of the non-herbal variety — as a snack.

“We want to create a positive and healthy university culture and feel that events such as the 4/20 event promote that effort,” Joanna Vela, LPC, LCDC counselor, wrote in an email April 17 to The Mesquite.

Vela is with Student Counseling and Wellness Services, which is part of the Alcohol and Drug Prevention Committee.

She says marijuana use is increasing among college students. According to a study published in 2016 by Monitoring the Future, marijuana use among college students continues to rise and is at one of its highest levels in 30 years. The report is based on national survey results on drug use of college students and adults ages 19-55, from 1975-2016. Monitoring the Future is a study group that researches American teenagers, college students and young adults.

The event will “ensure students are informed and aware of the potential drawbacks to using marijuana and synthetic cannabinoids,” Vela wrote.

“I think it’s amazing and a great way to have awareness to college students and the community,” Chris Rodriguez, a communication major, said in an interview April 19. “It sounds super unusual and makes me want to see what it’s about. I haven’t seen any flyers or advertising for it on campus.”

The committee decided on naming the event “420: Got the Munchies?” to address a common effect of marijuana use: hunger and cravings for junk food. The event’s title and timing also denote a date that is highly associated with marijuana culture.

The myths behind the origin of 420 are abundant, but an article
published online by CNN, April 2017, gets down to the roots of ‘420 Day.’

One of the myths is that 420 is the police radio code for “marijuana smoking in progress.” However, there is no part of the United States where 420 is a police code for anything related to marijuana, the article says.

Another myth says 420 originated from the Bob Dylan song “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35,” its lyric “Everybody must get stoned” and the fact that 12 times 35 is 420.

Some say 420 is the California penal code used to punish the use or distribution of marijuana. But this is not true as the state’s 420 code applies to obstructing entry on public land, according to CNN.

Ultimately, the most widely accepted explanation of 420’s origin came from a group of high school students at San Rafael High School in California in the early 1970s. A group of stoners who called themselves “the Waldos” would use this number to secretly give each other a time to meet at 4:20 p.m. to get high.

At this time of day, their parents were not home from work and they were out of school, giving the group of kids unsupervised time to themselves. From there, 420 has spread little by little over the years as a popular “weed” day for April 20.

This semester, A&M-San Antonio has hosted some edgy but informative events on campus — the Female O lecture in March, “The Vagina Monologues” performance this month and the 420 event — to connect with students.

“It is important to be relevant and engaging with any event we provide to the student body,” Vela wrote in her email. “We want to keep our events and information current and beneficial to the students.”

About the Author

Melissa Ramos
Melissa Ramos is an avid lover of visual and cultural arts. She is a senior Communications major with plans to graduate in 2019. She attends school full time, works full time and has three teenage children whom she loves watching movies with and taking road trips to the beach. She enjoys attending her kids’ school activities and is involved with their AVID club activities.

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