Thanks to Jeff Spicoli’s burnt out character in Fast Times at Ridgemont High the stereotype that students who use marijuana don’t care about their schooling has been around for decades.

In reality, just because someone may be looking forward to getting high after class doesn’t mean they aren’t focusing on the lecture. Kids who thought their days of hiding Rhotos from their parents were over once they moved to college were in for a rude awakening. Now they have to worry about being labeled as lazy, even compared to their peers who drink in excess six nights a week.

“I mean when I hear the word stoner I think that loser kid who doesn’t do anything which is basically the stereotype,” said fourth-year communications major McKenna Armstrong. “It sucks that the word stoner has such a negative connotation because me and a bunch of my friends would be considered stoners and most of us have about average GPAs.”

It is worth mentioning that alcohol impairs a person’s abilities for longer and is much more damaging to the body than marijuana. Still, alcohol is a more accepted form of escape for college students.

There was a study done by Yale that states students who indulge in heavy alcohol and marijuana use get worse grades than those who only use the two moderately. This is the equivalent of saying that eating In n Out every day doesn’t promote weight loss.

Indulging in drugs and alcohol every night will most likely have a negative impact on a student’s grades. However, the students who can easily balance good grades and get casually stoned shouldn’t have to hold any negative stigmas.

There is a concern that weed users may hold about their reputation with current professors or future employers. This is not a stereotype that will be solved overnight but there are new approaches to the issue.

No one who hopes to have a career some day would flaunt their drinking abilities on a social media account that can be seen by a potential employer. A solid rule of thumb would be to only discuss smoking habits to the extent of one’s drinking habits.

“Just don’t be stupid,” said Jase Fasiano a fourth year marketing student. “If you want to take a bong rip that’s chill just get your school stuff done first. Or else you deserve the stoner stereotype.”

Considering the drug is now legal in California, the number of students who get stoned will grow. Eventually, students will get to stop acting like they have never heard of the stuff when it is brought up in class.

Doing anything in excess is bad. No one should be constantly high, just like no one should be constantly drunk. The difference between them is how socially acceptable it is for someone to drink frequently, while smoking once in a while automatically makes someone a “stoner.”

Hanging up the tired tradition of demonizing marijuana is a necessity for students. It’s not because everyone does it or because it’s healthy. Marijuana should be acceptable for students because not every student that smokes focuses solely on getting high while choosing to ignore their grades.

Nicole Henson can be reached at [email protected] or @TheOrion_News on Twitter.