Date of Award

Spring 2022

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Sociology

First Advisor

Stephen Valocchi

Abstract

The consumption of cannabis is nothing new to college campuses and with the legalization of cannabis in Connecticut, it will for certain continue at Trinity College. However historically research centered on cannabis has focused on its negative impacts and not on its benefits or its impact on positive experiences. In examining my habitus, Trinity College, through a sociological lens, I wanted to examine the interactions once builds on campus in relation to cannabis and uncover is it is racialized in any way. Trinity as inherent white supremacist institution, and the experiences of students of color often differ from their white counterparts. This leads me to my research question, “How do students of various races and ethnicities partake in the Cannabis Culture at Trinity? Are there varying racialized experiences amongst them?” In which I used Critical Race Theory and 8 semi-structured interviews to answer. My findings can be organized in the following themes: What Makes Us Cannabis Users, What We Do While We’re High, Who Do We Smoke With, and Who Got Us Into Cannabis. I essentially found that the cannabis culture at Trinity is segregated by race but not as segregated as other formal/informal settings on campus. It is used as a social lubricant amongst all and even has the potential to cross racialized boundaries because “At the End of the Day We All Want to Get High.”

Comments

Senior thesis completed at Trinity College, Hartford CT for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.

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