Writing an essay while under the influence of marijuana can seem like an appealing idea for some students. After all, being high may help you relax and get into a more creative mindset, allowing ideas to flow freely. There are several significant downsides to attempting academic writing while intoxicated that students should be aware of before giving it a try.
One of the main issues with writing essays high is that it can seriously impair your cognitive ability and focus. THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, binds to cannabinoid receptors in the brain which play a role in memory formation, emotion and cognition. This causes short-term changes in brain function that can negatively impact tasks requiring concentration and organization like researching, formulating arguments, and structuring written work coherently.
Studies have shown that cannabis use is linked to deficits in executive functioning abilities important for academic success like decision making, flexible thinking, planning, abstract reasoning, and resistance to distraction. While high, students may struggle to keep multiple concepts and details in working memory or switch effectively between different components of the writing process such as drafting, revising, and editing. Ideas that seem brilliant under the influence also risk not making logical sense once sober.
Additionally, being intoxicated can seriously hamper a student’s ability to self-monitor the quality and accuracy of their own work. Writing requires establishing and maintaining an internal editor to catch mistakes, inconsistencies, logical fallacies, weak evidence, stylistic issues and more. Marijuana impairs judgment and users notoriously underestimate how compromised their functioning truly is. This means high students won’t have the clarity needed to thoroughly proofread and polish an assignment before submission. Careless errors that would be easily avoidable while sober may slip through.
It’s also important to consider that marijuana can negatively impact writing style, expression and organization. Being under the influence makes coherent, lucid communication more challenging and sedating effects of the drug may come across plainly through disorganized or simplistic phrasing, careless grammar and spelling mistakes, incomplete or run-on sentences, repetitive themes, and a failure to develop ideas fully. Professors expect polished academic writing that demonstrates critical thought – not rambling, half-baked streams of consciousness.
Furthermore, submitting work written while intoxicated raises serious ethical issues. Most schools forbid assignments from being completed under the influence of any substance as it undermines academic integrity. Professors and TAs want to feel they are grading the true ability and effort of each student, not artificial states influenced by drugs or alcohol. Submitting a high-quality paper requires sustained mental engagement over time – not a rushed job done in an altered state of mind right before a deadline. Students risk their credibility and potential consequences if caught.
Beyond quality concerns, writing essays under the influence also simply isn’t an efficient use of time. The impairments caused by marijuana mean less may actually get accomplished per drafting session compared to working sober and focused. Valuable hours spent writing could be wasted accomplishing little of substance or requiring major reworking later to address gaps and inconsistencies. Especially for time-intensive papers, that sets students back considerably and adds unneeded stress as deadlines near.
For students who enjoy using marijuana recreationally, a better approach is to keep academic responsibilities completely separate from drug use. Save indulging for after assignments are fully drafted, proofread, and submitted or take an occasional break to unwind but not when sustained focused work is required. Some students also report that writing while a little tired but sober allows for similar benefits of a relaxed state without risky cognitive impairments. Having a clear mind leads to better ideas, organization, expression and efficiency over the writing process as a whole.
In rare cases where writing high may seem like the only option due to tight deadlines or last-minute procrastination, students should at minimum strongly reconsider and find alternative solutions if possible. At the very least, wait until being fully functional again before submitting anything for a grade. Better yet, avoid regularly putting yourself in urgent situations through better time management and planning. College is meant to cultivate critical thinking skills – not undermine them through risky or unethical workarounds.
While marijuana use is increasingly accepted for recreational or medical purposes by the public, its impacts on cognition necessary for academic success mean keeping intoxication separate from course responsibilities remains the prudent choice for most students. Sustained periods of writing require full mental presence and control not possible when under the influence of any psychoactive substance. The integrity of one’s education and future career prospects are simply too important to gamble with rushed or impaired work. In the long run, taking academic work seriously through dedicated sober effort leads to far better outcomes.
Attempting to write essays for a grade while high on marijuana generally should be avoided due to the significant cognitive impairments it causes and ethical issues involved. The temporary benefits of relaxation or creativity are vastly outweighed by risks to work quality, efficiency, credibility and overall academic performance. For committed students, making sobriety a requirement during prolonged writing tasks protects the integrity of their education and future prospects. Recreational drug use has its place, but keeping it separate from serious school responsibilities is a smarter approach.
Andrew Stroud