Weed-D-U

After last year’s drug-related shooting caused a nationwide media storm, Harvard administrators have been doing their best to minimize public scrutiny and put all those “I can’t believe those Harvard kids smoke pot!” remarks to rest.

In an attempt to crack down on illegal drug activity, the administration is looking to increase the severity of consequences for students caught with illegal substances, especially marijuana. According to the “Drugs and Alcohol” section of the FAS Student Handbook, students found using illegal substances will be issued a referral letter and are required to meet regularly with consultants from Alcohol & Other Drug Services (AODS).

But a new intervention program has recently been introduced to the Harvard campus as a extension of further disciplinary action and drug use prevention. The electronic THC Online Knowledge Experience, or e-TOKE, is an online “assessment and feedback tool designed to reduce marijuana use among college students,” according to the e-TOKE website. Sound familiar? Welcome to Alcohol EDU II: Weed Edition.

Designed by professors from San Diego State University, e-TOKE is currently already being used on 400 campuses nationwide. Harvard hopes to join the ranks of these dope-diminishing schools, convinced that the intervention programs implemented by AODS and this new online tool will provide “structured intervention, particularly for those students who may not view their substance use or related negative consequences as problematic,” as stated in the Student Handbook.

E-TOKE claims to motivate students to steer away from marijuana use through social norms and other encouraging data and information. A sample report on the e-TOKE website shows primary marijuana use at “Fictional University” to be centered around males, freshmen, non-athletes, and non-Greeks. Interesting social norm implementation, no?

Will making burnt-out students complete a 15-minute survey deter them from marijuana use? Can’t wait to see the little green pie charts for “Harvard University.”