"Does a pot bust trump a 4.0 GPA?" LA Times

[MLEVINE07]

<p>The only privacy clause has to do with out of school incidents. I have a friend who got a DUI, but since the police did not tell the school, the school could not tell colleges despite the fact that they heard plenty of people talking about it.</p>

[Cefran]

<p>If a student tells a counselor then, yes, the counselor can tell the college about what happened. But like MLevine07 said he or she cannot tell the college about incidents outside of school, unless personally told by the student.
I think that my counselor would know the guidelines when it comes to things like this…</p>

[99cents]

<p>I think they don’t have to tell the exact story but the way they hum and ha can tell a lot of things. D’s teacher said he often leaves things out on purpose so college has to call him. Not sure if he was bragging to get student’s attention but it does sound like a posibility.</p>

[trackster262]

<p>[Gina</a> Grant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gina_Grant]Gina”>Gina Grant college admissions controversy - Wikipedia)</p>

<p>This is an extreme situation relating to this topic. Gina Grant omitted that she had murdered her mother and was accepted to Harvard. Her acceptance was later rescinded on the grounds that she had lied. Despite comitting murder she attened, and graduated from, Tufts university.</p>

[spideygirl]

<p>1of42: “Yes, weed could be dangerous, but so could coffee. Let’s not get all prone to exaggeration here - weed is one of the most benign drugs available.”</p>

<p>Weed is still extremely dangerous. Google the work of a medical doctor named Ohlms for the FACTS.</p>

[99cents]

<p>Food for thought.

Health_Concerns: WHAT ARE THE MEDICAL DANGERS OF MARIJUANA USE? </p>

<p>I must preface these statements with the remark that there is still a great deal of research to be done concerning the effects of marijuana on the health of humans due to the fact that widespread marijuana use has only become prevalent in this country within the last three decades, so the effects of long-term use are just beginning to become apparent. I should also add that in making these observations, I have concentrated on the risks of smoking natural marijuana, since it is the most effective method of ingesting its active cannabinoids. </p>

<p>Marijuana has often been touted as one of the safest recreational substances available. This is perhaps true; many reputable scientific studies support the conclusion that cocaine, heroine, alcohol, and even cigarettes are more dangerous to the user’s health than marijuana. In addition, the celebrated pharmacological properties of cannabis have led thirty-six states to permit its use as a therapeutic drug for, among others, those suffering from AIDS; various painful, incurable and debilitating illnesses; the harmful side effects of cancer chemotherapy, and glaucoma. Additional research is being conducted concerning the use of marijuana on the treatment of anxiety and mental disorders.</p>

<p>Nonetheless, it would be fallacious to conclude that because the chemicals in marijuana have been found to present fewer dangers than some very harmful substances, the medical or recreational use of marijuana is perfectly safe. In a recreational context, marijuana has been shown to affect health, brain function, and memory. And in a medical context, marijuana is like any other powerful prescription drug: it has potentially dangerous side effects, and the decision to use it to treat patients must involve the same balancing test as the one required for chemotherapy or AZT: do the therapeutic effects of the drug outweigh its harmful effects? Though there are many more studies to be done on this issue, current data shows that the answer to this question may not always be “yes.”</p>

<p>EFFECTS OF HABITUAL MARIJUANA USE ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM</p>

<p>The most potent argument against the use of marijuana to treat medical disorders is that marijuana may cause the acceleration or aggravation of the very disorders it is being used to treat. </p>

<p>Smoking marijuana regularly (a joint a day) can damage the cells in the bronchial passages which protect the body against inhaled microorganisms and decrease the ability of the immune cells in the lungs to fight off fungi, bacteria, and tumor cells. For patients with already weakened immune systems, this means an increase in the possibility of dangerous pulmonary infections, including pneumonia, which often proves fatal in AIDS patients. </p>

<p>Studies further suggest that marijuana is a general “immunosuppressant” whose degenerative influence extends beyond the respiratory system. Regular smoking has been shown to materially affect the overall ability of the smoker’s body to defend itself against infection by weakening various natural immune mechanisms, including macrophages (a.k.a. “killer cells”) and the all-important T-cells. Obviously, this suggests the conclusion, which is well-supported by scientific studies, that the use of marijuana as a medical therapy can and does have a very serious negative effect on patients with pre-existing immune deficits resulting from AIDS, organ transplantation, or cancer chemotherapy, the very conditions for which marijuana has most often been touted and suggested as a treatment. It has also been shown that marijuana use can accelerate the progression of HIV to full-blown AIDS and increase the occurrence of infections and Kaposi’s sarcoma. In addition, patients with weak immune systems will be even less able to defend themselves against the various respiratory cancers and conditions to which consistent marijuana use has been linked, and which are discussed briefly under “Respiratory Illnesses.”</p>

<p>In conclusion, it seems that the potential dangers presented by the medical use of marijuana may actually contribute to the dangers of the diseases which it would be used to combat. Therefore, I suggest that marijuana should not be permitted as a therapy, at least until a good deal more conclusive research has been completed concerning its debilitating effect on the immune system.</p>

<p>For more on this topic, please see Donald P. Tashkin, M.D., “Effects of Marijuana on the Lung and Its Immune Defenses,” Secretary’s Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Intiative: Resource Papers, March 1997, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Pages 33-51 of this address can be found at the website of the Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University, located at <a href=“http://www.drugs.indiana.edu/druginfo/tashkin-[/url]”>http://www.drugs.indiana.edu/druginfo/tashkin-&lt;/a&gt; marijuana.html.</p>

<p>RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES</p>

<p>The main respiratory consequences of smoking marijuana regularly (one joint a day) are pulmonary infections and respiratory cancer, whose connection to marijuana use has been strongly suggested but not conclusively proven. The effects also include chronic bronchitis, impairment in the function of the smaller air passages, inflammation of the lung, the development of potentially pre-cancerous abnormalities in the bronchial lining and lungs, and, as discussed, a reduction in the capabilities of many defensive mechanisms within the lungs. </p>

<p>Marijuana smoke and cigarette smoke contain many of the same toxins, including one which has been identified as a key factor in the promotion of lung cancer. This toxin is found in the tar phase of both, and it should be noted that one joint has four times more tar than a cigarette, which means that the lungs are exposed four-fold to this toxin and others in the tar. It has been concretely established that smoking cigarettes promotes lung cancer (which causes more than 125,000 deaths in the US every year), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (chronic bronchitis and emphysema) and increased incidence of respiratory tract infections. This implies, but does not establish, that smoking marijuana may lead to some of the same results as smoking cigarettes. It is notable that several reports indicate an unexpectedly large proportion ofmarijuana users among cases of lung cancer and cancers of the oral cavity,pharynx, and larynx. Thus, it appears that the use of marijuana as a medicine has the potential to further harm an already ill patient in the same way that taking up regular cigarette smoking would, particularly in light of the fact that those patients for whom marijuana is recommended are already poorly equipped to fight off these infections and diseases.</p>

<p>For more information, please see the Tashkin website mentioned at the end of the section on immune disorders. See also:</p>

<p>[Sarnia</a> Online](<a href=“http://www.sarnia.com/GROUPS/ANTIDRUG/mrr/]Sarnia”>http://www.sarnia.com/GROUPS/ANTIDRUG/mrr/) 21.96.10.html, for information on the link between chemicals contained in marijuana and lung cancer.
[MarijuanaNews.Com</a>, Freedom has nothing to fear from the truth](<a href=“http://www.marijuananews.com/latest_research_finds_that_heavy.htm]MarijuanaNews.Com”>http://www.marijuananews.com/latest_research_finds_that_heavy.htm), for an article concerning the link between marijuana and cancer, with commentary</p>

<p>MENTAL HEALTH, BRAIN FUNCTION, AND MEMORY</p>

<p>It has been suggested that marijuana is at the root of many mental disorders, including acute toxic psychosis, panic attacks (one of the very conditions it is being used experimentally to treat), flashbacks, delusions, depersonalization, hallucinations, paranoia, depression, and uncontrollable aggressiveness. Marijuana has long been known to trigger attacks of mental illness, such as bipolar (manic-depressive) psychosis and schizophrenia. This connection with mental illness should make health care providers for terminally ill patients and the patients themselves, who may already be suffering from some form of clinical depression, weigh very carefully the pros and cons of adopting a therapeutic course of marijuana.</p>

<p>In the short term, marijuana use impairs perception, judgment, thinking, memory, and learning; memory defects may persist six weeks after last use. Mental disorders connected with marijuana use merit their own category in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) IV, published by the American Psychiatric Association. These include Cannabis Intoxication (consisting of impaired motor coordination, anxiety, impaired judgment, sensation of slowed time, social withdrawal, and often includes perceptual disturbances; Cannabis Intoxication Delirium (memory deficit, disorientation); Cannabis Induced Psychotic Disorder, Delusions; Cannabis Induced Psychotic Disorder, Hallucinations; and Cannabis Induced Anxiety Disorder. </p>

<p>In addition, marijuana use has many indirect effects on health. Its effect on coordination, perception, and judgment means that it causes a number of accidents, vehicular and otherwise. </p>

<p>For further information, you may find the following sites helpful: </p>

<p>[Sarnia</a> Online](<a href=“http://www.sarnia.com/GROUPS/ANTIDRUG/reality/updatejl.html]Sarnia”>http://www.sarnia.com/GROUPS/ANTIDRUG/reality/updatejl.html), for information on links between marijuana use and mental health risks.
[Sarnia</a> Online](<a href=“http://www.sarnia.com/GROUPS/ANTIDRUG/mrr/21.96.10.html]Sarnia”>http://www.sarnia.com/GROUPS/ANTIDRUG/mrr/21.96.10.html), for more information on the indirect effects of marijuana on health
<a href=“http://www.adf.org.au/drughit[/url]”>http://www.adf.org.au/drughit&lt;/a&gt;, the Australian Drug Foundation’s website
<a href=“http://marijuananews.com/a_safe_[/url]”>http://marijuananews.com/a_safe_&lt;/a&gt; high<em>.htm, a reprint of New Science magazine’s “Marijuana Special Report: A Safe High?” with commentary
<a href=“http://marijuananews.com/claim”>http://marijuananews.com/claim&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;four.htm, an article about the similarity of long-term marijuana use’s effect on the brain to that of “hard” drugs, with commentary
<a href=“http://www.drugs.indiana.edu/publications/iprc/misc/smokescreen.html[/url]”>www.drugs.indiana.edu/publications/iprc/misc/smokescreen.html</a>, for general information on the health risks of marijuana.
[Drug</a> and alcohol abuse, treatment, prevention at SAMHSA’s National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information](<a href=“http://www.health.org%5DDrug”>http://www.health.org), the homepage of the National Clearinghouse on Alcohol and Drug Information, for general information on marijuana.

10 characters</p>

[originaloog]

<p>If I were an adcom, yes a pot bust would trump a high gpa. Many applicants boast high gpa’s without the downside of anti-social, illegal behavior.</p>

[parentofbear]

<p>Inquiring minds on the West Coast are just dying to know how one gets busted for pot?</p>

[1of42]

<p>
[QUOTE=spideygirl]

Weed is still extremely dangerous. Google the work of a medical doctor named Ohlms for the FACTS.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I Googled “Ohlms”, and it turned up no research, no credentials, nothing. In fact, this thread was something like the 4th result. So you’re going to have to provide the information to me.</p>

<p>That said, unless this Ohlms is presenting statistically rigorous, controlled studies that show dangerous side effects of marijuana, it’s less convincing fact than the myriad statistical studies already done that show minimal effects, aside from certain immunomodulative and psychoactive side effects.</p>

<p>Look spideygirl, I have a foot high stack of books, government reports, statistical studies, journal articles, and so forth, all on the subject of marijuana, sitting beside me on my desk right now. Most of them agree with my conclusion that marijuana is largely harmless, with the exception of certain side effects (increased psychotic disease incidence, immunomodulation, and so forth).</p>

<p>If you’re saying you have a credible source saying otherwise, I challenge you to present it. I can’t find this doctor who you’re talking about, and am inclined to think he/she either doesn’t exist, or is not particularly credible, since there are no reference to his/her work in PubMed or anywhere else I looked. But if I’m wrong, and he/she has produced credible, peer-reviewed work, I will be happy to add it to my stack of materials, if you’ll show it to me. Back to you.</p>

<p>99cents: That’s an interesting overview. Would you mind linking to it/citing it? I’d love to read it in its original context.</p>

<p>I only ask because it makes a couple of assertions (regarding respiratory cancer risk and certain aspects of marijuana’s immunomodulative functions) that have been challenged and more or less proven false in the last couple of years by more rigorous study of the issue.</p>

<p>Thanks :)</p>

<p>
[QUOTE=originaloog]

If I were an adcom, yes a pot bust would trump a high gpa. Many applicants boast high gpa’s without the downside of anti-social, illegal behavior.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>That’s a fairly strong statement to make, especially since pot smoking is most often done in groups, as a social activity. Slightly misinformed assertions aside, is legality always your bar? If it came to your attention that I smoked marijuana in, say, Ontario Canada (where possession is currently legal), would you reject me? What if it came to your attention that I had been caught drinking underage? What if I had been caught jaywalking? Is your judgment entirely based on legality?</p>

[99cents]

<p>I was having problem with CC yesterday that is why I did not include the link. Here it is.</p>

<p>[THE</a> MEDICAL DANGERS OF MARIJUANA USE](<a href=“http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/evidence99/marijuana/Health_1.html]THE”>THE MEDICAL DANGERS OF MARIJUANA USE)</p>

[1of42]

<p>Thanks for the link. It looks like that site is a group project from a law school class… and unfortunately, is not particularly well executed in terms of what it cites (citing government drug enforcement agency reports on health effects is a poor substitute for citing the actual medical literature). It’s also 8 years out of date on its medical information.</p>

<p>Thought-provoking nonetheless… thanks!</p>

[MLEVINE07]

<p>Anti-social behavior has nothing to do with being in a group. Anti-social behavior is any behavior which does not agree with the cultural norms. Smoking pot is still not a norm behavior.</p>

<p>As President Botstein said in his speech to my class:</p>

<p>“Drugs are in no way fascilitative to learning.”</p>

<p>For that one reason, I wouldn’t want someone doing recreational drugs over someone who didn’t, if I was an adcom. Now, if they were a shamanist, and studied and respected sacred herbs, flowers, and roots, I would be more hesitant. Even if it was a student who happened to be part of the Native American Church and use peyote often, I would want that person over someone who RECREATIONALY uses substances.</p>

[Papa_Chicken]

<p>“College Application Process Is Getting More Personal”
12/10/07 Boise, Idaho Channel 2 Video
[College</a> Application Process Is Getting More Personal | KBCI CBS 2 - News, Weather and Sports - Boise, ID Boise, Idaho | Local & Regional](<a href=“http://www.2news.tv/news/local/12334206.html]College”>http://www.2news.tv/news/local/12334206.html)</p>

<p>transcript Intro

When the Virginia Tech shootings happened many asked how warning flags were missed.</p>

<p>It left many colleges beginning to probe deeper into student’s legal past.</p>

<p>Even here on what appears to be a quaint, quiet college campus in Caldwell.</p>

<p>The College of Idaho’s Vice President of Enrollment, John Klockentager said, “It’s a lot more than your GPA and your test score.”</p>

<p>This is the fifth year the College of Idaho has used an application that began asks questions about student’s past behavior.</p>

<p>Klockentager said, “For the safety of our students, faculty and staff.”

</p>

<p>“Convicted of a Felon? Colleges Want to Know”
12/10/07 Iowa Channel 9 Video
[Convicted</a> of a Felon? Colleges Want to Know | KCRG-TV9 Cedar Rapids, Iowa | Local News](<a href=“Local”>Local)</p>

<p>transcript intro

IOWA CITY - One question you will find on any job application is whether you have been convicted of a felony. Now it is not just CEO’s who need to know. College applications are asking students what they have been up to outside the classroom.
It is a growing trend. </p>

<p>High school seniors have plenty on their desks this time of year. The holidays, the end of the semester, college entrance applications. West High School senior Max Bryk said, “It’s horrible. If you try to do it in one day, you can’t do it in one day." </p>

<p>Applications might make some students sweat more than others. Take the Common Application which more than 300 colleges use. At the end, it asks if the student has ever been disciplined in school. And it asks if the student has ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor. West High School senior Kate Carter said, “Your grades and your activities are being looked at so your moral character should come into play."</p>

<p>Carter does not mind checking ‘no’ when the application asks if she has committed a felony or misdemeanor. She views it as another hurdle she’s cleared on her path to college. And colleges administrators want to know who they are letting into their community. President-Elect of Common Application and Dean of Admissions at Grinnell College Seth Allen said, “It’s an exercise on students being aware and taking responsibility for their own actions."

</p>

[galoisien]

<p>“If you addressing me Hunt, I was stating that underage drinking is illegal. I was saying that covering up the drinking is dishonest, IMO.”</p>

<p>I don’t think this is a good analogy.</p>

<p>Say you’re a homosexual in Saudi Arabia, or some intolerant country. </p>

<p>It’s illegal to be a homosexual. (Is it immoral?) </p>

<p>You cover it up. (Is the covering up immoral?)</p>

<p>Covering up for an act that an unjust law rules is illegal is not necessarily immoral. </p>

<p>The laws that prohibit cannabis consumption yet permit tobacco consumption are particularly hypocritical and unjust. Covering up the consumption is not immoral: you were simply evading an unjust law. </p>

<p>Your friend has flagrantly violated censorship laws in a certain country by expressing certain views. You don’t tell the authorities what he has done. Is this immoral?</p>

[silverbullet]

<p>Come on now, the days of thinking marijuana causes cancer or brain damage is over. Its accepted in the medical field that marijuana hardly does anything negative to your body. </p>

<p>infact, are even studies showing that it may help prevent lung cancer.</p>

<p>[Pot</a> Smoke: Less Carcinogenic Than Tobacco?](<a href=“http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20051017/pot-smoke-less-carcinogenic-than-tobacco]Pot”>Cancer: Sarcoma, Carcinoma, Lymphoma, and Leukemia)</p>

<p>[Marijuana</a> May Fight Lung Tumors](<a href=“http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/news/20070417/marijuana-may-fight-lung-tumors]Marijuana”>Lung Cancer: Overview of Non-Small Cell and Small Cell Types)</p>

<p>BTW, on the topic of the thread, i dont think a marijuana charge will impact a college entry decision that much, if any at all. Sure it may be illegal, but whos to say the law is always the bench mark for what is moral and whatdefines integrity? IMO, the biggest crooks i’ve seen are politicians, but hey, we are all human. I’m sure everyone has noticed in the past few years, but the way the law looks at marijuana is rapidly changing.</p>

[spideygirl]

<p>1of42: Just read your post. Here is a link which came right up on Google when I put in “Ohlms MD”. You can order whatever you’d like, and add it to your collection:</p>

<p>[FMS</a> Productions](<a href=“http://www.fmsproductions.com/Catalog/DavidOhlms/OhlmsBioList.php]FMS”>http://www.fmsproductions.com/Catalog/DavidOhlms/OhlmsBioList.php)</p>

<p>"…Dr. David Ohlms examines older studies and introduces newer research which seems to implicate the popular recreational drug [marijuana] in a number of human physical ailments.</p>

<p>The primary message is that marijuana is definitely not a “safe” drug. Not only is it a gateway to other substances, but it can contribute to or cause profound psychological and emotional impairment, as well as producing physical addiction.</p>

<p>…The quality and “strength” of marijuana have changed over the years. Effects of the drug vary widely, depending on the user and the level of THC."</p>

[russiasaurus]

<p>I spent plenty of time freaking out about my own disciplinary record: for alcohol consumption on a foreign exchange trip my freshman year, I was dealt a five-day suspension.</p>

<p>I do not drink on principle. That evening in 9th grade, I had a single sip of another student’s beverage, then abstained from drinking any more–but I was suspended along with the rest of the group, and had to attend five substance-abuse counseling sessions!</p>

<p>As a rule, my school does not report disciplinary records to colleges, unless the student has been disciplined for a serious misdemeanor–selling drugs, violence, etc. They leave it up to students to self-report.</p>

<p>I explained my suspension in detail on my application, and was sure it would keep me out of Middlebury, or at least move me into the regular applicant pool. In fact, I was accepted ED! Aah!</p>

<p>I’m fine with colleges asking about disciplinary records. Personally, I want to be safe on campus. I don’t know how effective the new Common App question will be in weeding out risky candidates if schools like mine don’t report their records, but in my experience, it didn’t hurt an otherwise good kid. (and I don’t have a 4.0 GPA either, for the record – 3.77 UW)</p>