- The Princeton Review, a college-admissions company, found the schools where marijuana use is most common.
- In a survey of 140,000 students, most colleges that made the list were located in states where cannabis is legal, like Vermont, California, and Colorado.
- The No. 1 school for weed smokers is the University of Vermont, in Burlington.
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For many, toking up has been as integral a part of the college experience as ultimate Frisbee and late-night study sessions. And while the activity has often been shrouded in secrecy, the mainstreaming of marijuana now has college students openly discussing their smoking habits.
Enter the Princeton Review’s 2020 edition of “The Best 385 Colleges,” which includes among its 62 rankings a list on campus cannabis use cheekily labeled “Reefer Madness.”
To find out which colleges are out-smoking the rest, the Princeton Review surveyed 140,000 students in 385 schools, asking them, “How widely is marijuana used at your school?” Not surprisingly, many of the colleges with students reporting highest marijuana use are in states where recreational use of the drug is legal.
According to a 2017 Monitoring the Future study from the University of Michigan, 38% of college students aged 19 to 22 have reported smoking weed in the past year.
And as a sign of the times, weed isn't just being smoked on campus anymore - it's being taught. Some schools, like Cornell University in New York and Colorado's University of Denver, are offering cannabis courses. The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy will even offer a master's degree in medical cannabis, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Here are the colleges where students report the most recreational use of weed.
20. Hamilton College — Clinton, New York
Total enrollment: 1,915
Is marijuana legal in New York? Only medical marijuana is legal, but possessing small quantities has been decriminalized.
19. Syracuse University — Syracuse, New York
Total enrollment: 15,226
Is marijuana legal in New York? Only medical marijuana is legal, but possessing small quantities has been decriminalized.
18. University of Wisconsin-Madison — Madison, Wisconsin
Total enrollment: 32,648
Is marijuana legal in Wisconsin? Neither medical nor recreational use is allowed.
17. Ithaca College — Ithaca, New York
Total enrollment: 6,101
Is marijuana legal in New York? Only medical marijuana is legal, but possessing small quantities has been decriminalized.
16. University of Colorado, Boulder
Total enrollment: 29,091
Is marijuana legal in Colorado? Colorado legalized the drug for medical and recreational purposes in 2012.
15. Colorado College — Colorado Springs, Colorado
Total enrollment: 2,114
Is marijuana legal in Colorado? Colorado legalized the drug for medical and recreational purposes in 2012.
14. Champlain College — Burlington, Vermont
Total enrollment: 2,129
Is marijuana legal in Vermont? Both medical and recreational use is legal, but there are no laws for legal production or sale just yet.
13. State University of New York, Purchase College — Purchase, New York
Total enrollment: 4,297
Is marijuana legal in New York? Only medical marijuana is legal, but possessing small quantities has been decriminalized.
12. Sarah Lawrence College — Bronxville, New York
Total enrollment: 1,410
Is marijuana legal in New York? Only medical marijuana is legal, but possessing small quantities has been decriminalized.
11. Warren Wilson College — Asheville, North Carolina
Is marijuana legal in North Carolina? Neither medical nor recreational use is allowed.
10. University of California, Santa Barbara
Total enrollment: 22,186
Is marijuana legal in California? California was the first state to legalize the drug for medical purposes in 1996, and recreational use became legal in 2016.
9. Marlboro College — Marlboro, Vermont
Is marijuana legal in Vermont? Both medical and recreational use is legal, but there are no laws for legal production or sale just yet.
8. Bard College — Annandale-on-Hudson, New York
Total enrollment: 1,893
Is marijuana legal in New York? Only medical marijuana is legal, but possessing small quantities has been decriminalized.
7. University of Maine — Orono, Maine
Total enrollment: 9,365
Is marijuana legal in Maine? Both medical and recreational use are legal.
6. Reed College — Portland, Oregon
Total enrollment: 1,483
Is marijuana legal in Oregon? Both medical and recreational use are legal.
5. Skidmore College — Saratoga Springs, New York
Total enrollment: 2,612
Is marijuana legal in New York? Only medical marijuana is legal, but possessing small quantities has been decriminalized.
4. Wesleyan University — Middletown, Connecticut
Total enrollment: 3,009
Is marijuana legal in Connecticut? Only medical marijuana is legal, but possessing small quantities has been decriminalized.
3. University of Rhode Island — Kingston, Rhode Island
Total enrollment: 13,865
Is marijuana legal in Rhode Island? Only medical marijuana is legal, but possessing small quantities has been decriminalized.
2. Pitzer College — Claremont, California
Total enrollment: 1,112
Is marijuana legal in California? California was the first state to legalize the drug for medical purposes in 1996, and recreational use became legal in 2016.
1. University of Vermont — Burlington, Vermont
Total enrollment: 11,328
Is marijuana legal in Vermont? Both medical and recreational use are legal, but there are no laws for legal production or sale just yet.