Mizzou Health and Well-Being organized an educational event called “The Blunt Truth” on Oct. 1 to promote education on drug use at Mizzou.
According to Alcohol & Other Drug specialist Megan Lewis, there is a lot of confusion about campus policy on cannabis.
“I’m not going to be a person to tell you guys, ‘Hey, don’t ever use a substance,’ but I want to make sure if it is something we ever explore, let’s make sure we’re doing it in a safe and smart way,” Lewis said
To help combat the confusion, one game titled Cannabis Clarity required participants to sort various drug rules into categories like state, federal and campus to help educate students on rules regarding cannabis at different levels.
Another game included cornhole, where the boards were labeled safe or unsafe. The volunteers asked questions and participants had to throw the beanbag on the board depending on whether they thought it was safe or not.
“I’m able to learn a lot more than I previously came in knowing,” sophomore attendee Boston Martinez said.“And I think it’s very interesting being able to connect with people and talk about a topic that’s kind of more taboo than you would understand or that people would initially think.”
First-year Savanah Augustowski felt the event was informative on how to safely use cannabis and the emotional side effects the drug can have.
“I think cannabis use has a lot of impact on emotional health,” Augustowski said. “You’re basically taking it to feel a certain way, a different way, and honestly, whatever your view is on cannabis, you could support it, you don’t have to, but it does take an emotional toll on people.”
Last year, Health and Well-Being held an event called “Grill and Chill” that focused on alcohol education. After talking to MU Residential Life about what residential advisors and hall coordinators were reporting, they decided to hold a cannabis focused event instead.
The Wellness Resource Center is located in the Student Center. The center offers well-being coaching where students can get advice on their current substance usage. On campus, the center advocates for harm reduction rather than abstinence.
