SATIRE, Texas — Marijuana activists worldwide have been eagerly awaiting today’s date — 4-20 — a number first established by a group of five high-school stoners but made famous by the popular rock group, Grateful Dead. The number has been used in everything from marijuana police codes to legislation bill numbers to social code words and now holds a special date in pot culture — even at Midwestern State, a supposedly ‘conservative’ campus.

Though portrayed as being a smoke-free campus, smoke still fills the air and clouds apartments from freshman to post-grad. Students stand in front of tobacco-free signs and light up.Since April of last year, revisions to the smoking ban on campus have been in a stand-still due to disagreements on disciplinary actions.

Rather than remain a “smoke-free campus,” administrators may designate smoking locations for addicted individuals who need to get their tobacco fix. But why just limit smoking areas to tobacco? Let’s be cutting edge.

Students have given their thoughts on tobacco use without hesitation. But a “green” campus? They seem shy at the idea of something so illegal becoming accepted.

Sure, they’ll partake in drinking binges, sometimes legally, sometimes not, but few consider the detrimental side effects alcohol has to their bodies. According to a report by the Scientific Research Society in 2006, alcohol is rated as one of the top most toxic drugs, needing only 10 times the average consumption amount to have an overdose turn fatal while  marijuana ranks as one of the lowest, having fatal overdoses almost impossible.

With 23 states already having some form of legalized marijuana, Texas is not too far behind. In June of 2015, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill allowing people with severe forms of epilepsy to purchase and consume Cannabidiol oil containing low levels of THC. The first Texas dispensary will not be licensed until June 2017, giving underground markets another year to find new and more legal hobbies. 

Midwestern, instead of being behind, can lead the way.

We’ve got Student Government-supplied water bottle dispensaries. Why not weed dispensaries?

We’ve got a pseudo-Starbucks. Why not a head shop?

The chance of being revolutionary is there, why are we waiting?

Have you ever tried marijuana?

— MSU Wichitan Online (@WichitanOnline) April 19, 2016