Web site looks at marijuana use by students

Researchers at San Diego State University have created a Web site allowing students to perform a confidential self-assessment of their marijuana use.

The researchers created e-TOKE — the electronic THC Online Knowledge Experience — in response to research from the Harvard School of Public Health showing that the percentage of college students using marijuana is increasing.

“The latest research from Harvard shows the use of marijuana is significantly influencing campuses,” said Douglas Van Sickle, dean of students at San Diego State University.

The number of college students who used the drug in the last year increased from 23 percent to 30 percent from 1993 to 2001, according to the study. About 98 percent of students who use marijuana also binge drink or use other illicit substances.

The e-TOKE program is designed to motivate students to reduce their marijuana use by using personalized information about behavior and risk factors, Van Sickle said.

In addition to demographic information, the Web asks students to enter data about their use of marijuana, spending patterns and lifestyle choices.

Responses are compared with national and local college norms, allowing the program to provide personalized feedback comparing students to their peers. It also discusses the negative consequences of marijuana use and provides links to campus and community resources.

E-TOKE is a spinoff of another program called e-CHUG, used at more than 100 colleges and universities across the United States for alcohol assessment and intervention.

That program has been used more than 77,605 times and has effectively lowered students’ levels of binge drinking, Van Sickle said.

E-TOKE is being tested at San Diego State and five other institutions: Colgate, Duke and Texas A&M universities, the University of Nebraska and the University of San Diego. It will be ready for nationwide subscription in April.

UNC has no plans to sign onto the program. “I can’t say we would be interested in buying the program,” said Dean Blackburn, assistant dean of students. “But we are interested in giving out resources to let students obtain the information and help they need.”

And some say e-TOKE and other programs of its type aren’t really useful. “It takes more than a Web site,” said Steven Steiner, founder of Dads and Mad Moms Against Drug Dealers, an anti-drug organization. “What we need to do is change the culture.”

Steiner said college students are influenced by pro-drug organizations and “liberal ideologies” on campus. He said it would be better for colleges to hire more conservative professors instead of spending money on programs like e-TOKE.

Tom Angell, communications director for Students for Sensible Drug Policy, said the site should provide neutral information about drug use.

“We need accurate, nonjudgmental and reality-based information,” he said. “We haven’t really seen too much in the United States.”

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.