With the University of Wisconsin ranked No. 4 for “reefer madness” on campus, it comes as no surprise that smoking is strong, the weed is potent and dealers run rampant.

Ashcroft’s federal push and regulations put glass blowers out of business, in jail and under scrutiny for a short time, but Madison has pulled through the push and is continuing to sell pipes in a few head shops under the stipulation that they be solely used for tobacco use.

For a short time, pipes were shoved to the back of stores, cases selling these pieces of art were cut down from seven to one, and some stores even stopped selling entirely.

Regardless of personal thoughts regarding smoking pot, it is clear that even with regulation, the drug is here to stay. In a Harvest Fest parade just a few weeks ago, weed activists marched down State Street, joints in hand without prosecution, with one main cause in mind: the legalization of marijuana.

The prevalence of this illegal substance and the openness of pot smokers are shocking to some. Head-shop employees say sales are as strong as ever, nor do dealers seem to be complaining, and yet narcotics officers and anti-drug groups pride themselves on drug busts and prevention methods. Contradiction?

Despite ill effects such as potential infertility in males, rumored reduced penis size, killing of brain cells, and so on, smoking marijuana is as prevalent as it ever has been among college students, young women included. So if these young males want to risk these effects to their prized possessions and women want to smoke knowing full well the potential damage done, than perhaps Ashcroft should rethink his prevention plan.