According to the University of Michigan, more college students now smoke pot than cigarettes, which surprised and disappointed me. Now, before the pitchforks come out, I want to head off a few of your arguments. Firstly yes, I have tried pot before, in fact I’ve tried quite a bit of it. I’ve run the entire gamut of marijuana, I spent my freshman year of college up at Humboldt State getting intimately acquainted with bud, oil, kief, hash, edibles, topicals, and any other method you can think of.

Now then some of you might subsequently wonder why I don’t like it. After all it’s so safe, healthy, and relaxing, especially compared to other drugs. However, this isn’t the point I’m trying to make, nor am I trying to shame those who do choose to enjoy it. Up in my dorm room freshman year, my friends and I were in the midst of session when one of them paused with the bong in his hand, and relayed his stoned epiphany, “Guys I think we’re addicted to pot.”

At which point he was told that the bong isn’t a microphone and to stop bogarting. So I would rather encourage you to take a step back and think about the drug itself. For it is just that, a drug, it’s not a toy. Make no mistake, medicinal or otherwise, it’s an intentionally mind altering substance. It is habituating, not in any innate biological sense, not like nicotine. Yet, you can fall in love with the feeling of being high with deceptive ease. I also feel the need to reiterate, that I am no anti-pot, just pro-moderation.

The next time you think about hanging out with your friends, playing disc golf, or any other classic stoner excursion, try going without. While a hit or two may get you feeling just right, you may be going for bong rip number six. After you finish that rip what are you going to do? It may be relaxing and no doubt you earned it, but does it move you forward as a person? Are you any better off when the high wears off than you were before you sparked that bowl?

Ironically the creators of Towelie had it right, pot doesn’t make you stupid, but it can keep you stupid. So while it’s not going to rot your brain out of your skull, think about what you are giving up when you are getting baked, your time. The one guaranteed finite resource you have, time, is being squandered. You could be reading a book, learning a language, actually taking notes in your class, learning an instrument, or a million other tiny things that could potentially enrich you. It may feel so nice right now to go home and light up, relax on the couch to some Netflix and a bowl of cereal. Yet, will you have finished the reading that just got assigned? The choice is yours to make, relax today, or work for tomorrow.