I’m going to open this article by being extremely honest with you: I can’t tell you anything about marijuana. I don’t know the different strands, and if I tried to explain how to smoke out of a bowl, you would probably laugh in my face because let’s be honest, I am not a smoking expert. Nevertheless, I have overheard countless conversations and observed various interactions in which people said, “that was the best high of my life. If I could get that perfect high every time, I would smoke every day.” I was amazed. I wondered what it felt like to get as high as those people were talking about. It sounded so amazing, so incredible, I questioned whether I should want that high. After all, why wouldn’t you want something that made you feel that good? Eventually, I learned that it’s different for everyone and no two persons “ideal” highs are the same. Still, it went far beyond my learning of this concept of “different highs” to understand that maybe getting high is not what people want. Maybe- and stay with me here for a minute- it is more about the belief that getting high allows individuals to escape from the outside world in ways that other things do not allow us to do.

I’m not going to sound like a 20-year-old college student in this next paragraph, and for those of you who resent me for not doing so, allow me to apologize upfront. While I wish that I could be that person and deliver an “it’s not a problem, getting high is just a millennial thing to do and the new way of life for college students” attitude, I would be lying to myself as well as lying to you if I did so.

Let’s be honest, the fact that people can escape from their problems and troubles isn’t necessarily what the problem is. Rather, the problem lies in the fact that people feel as though there is no other way for them to “escape.” Things like reading a book, learning an instrument, writing about your day, taking an adventure, finding a new type of music you like, or discovering a new movie are all things that are alternative ways to escape. Thus, what is concerning about the way our generation handles this “high” concept is not that they are physically doing the action of smoking themselves up till they pass out, but more so that they believe this is all they can do to feel- well, shall we say- their idealistic way of feeling.

Like I said, the above paragraph certainly does not paint me in the light of someone who is a 20-year-old college student, nor does it make me look like someone who lived in the state of Colorado- a progressive place where marijuana is legal, and has been for the past year and a half. Yet, take a step back and try to look at this differently- from an alternative perspective. Shouldn’t someone who has been around people who smoke constantly and are about the same age as them be a little more “for” this act of getting high? If not, what does that tell us about the kind of behavior millennials are partaking in and the stigma that is associated with why they may not be doing the “right” things when they spend their free time out at a local dispensary instead of behind closed doors reading books?

Now, please don’t misunderstand. I am not trying to attack the act of smoking here as I understand that it is a mainstream act to engage in, and I support that everyone can make whichever decision he/she feels is best for them. At the same time, I think it is important that the act of craving a consistent high is addressed. There is nothing wrong with needing a few moments to escape from the world we live in, but perhaps we should start to consider if there is something wrong with the escape teenagers are drawn to being one that is provided by drugs.

Society may always be progressing, but that does not mean that we should turn a blind eye to the ways in which younger generations are choosing to approach this progression. Sure, it makes sense to seek an escape when you are overwhelmed, but does it have to be through drugs? How can we, as a society, help to encourage and find ways that allow people to see there are other forms of escape? Will we ever be able to introduce something that is just as good as the perfect high, and if not, will getting high ever truly be enough?