\t\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We are all on drugs,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Weezer declared in 2005 with their second single off the Make Believe<\/i> album. The LA Times seems to agree, proclaiming five years prior in an October article that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153drug use is rampant in the high-tech work force\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and calling it \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the dirty little secret of the dot-com world.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The questions now posed are as follows: who cares and is this a problem?<\/p>\n
\nCalifornia became the first state to legalize the medical use of marijuana in 1996 with the passing of Proposition 215, and, as everyone knows, California is home to one of the major hubs of the tech industry, Silicon Valley. It seems an easy correlation to make between a tolerant state and a high-stress job industry. (Though for the record, and to be fair, the other \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cyberstates\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Texas, New York, Florida, and Virginia do not have medical or any kind of marijuana legalized.)<\/p>\n
\nOne source I spoke to who works in the computer gaming industry said that almost everyone he has met in the industry \u00e2\u20ac\u0153smokes (or otherwise consumes) marijuana occasionally. Usually socially but some use it as a crutch due to the stressful nature of the work.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Several have mentioned using party drugs like cocaine, ecstasy and speed recreationally but I haven’t seen it myself–definitely rarer, like on a wild night out (e.g. during conventions out of town). A lot of people have tried LSD. I’ve also met a few in the industry who have experimented with harder or more unusual drugs, including ketamine and mescaline (off the top of my head).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n\tTwo other sources felt that the usage of marijuana among coders is no different than among non-coders, one going on to say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153as people age, the percentage of pot smokers lessens, as does the use of other drugs.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Another source who has never tried illegal substances himself said he did not see smoking marijuana as a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153big problem.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
We often work long hours on difficult problems and you simply can’t do the work if you’re heavily under the influence. Several heavy pot smokers I’ve known have also been some of the smartest and most productive I’ve worked with. People seem to use these drugs to unwind, to blow off steam, and I’ve never seen anyone have trouble keeping it out of the workplace. If people have substance problems it’s more likely alcoholism.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n\tWith regards to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153harder\u00e2\u20ac\u009d substances, one of my sources told me that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153seen a number of coders experiment with psychedelics; maybe moreso than coke\/hard drugs.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Another added that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153it’s really only higher management types I’ve run in to that use cocaine, not coders.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d All sources seemed to agree on this point, one phrasing it like this: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153In terms of coke, I think some people may have tried it, but I don’t know any people using it on a regular basis. Seems more of a financial\/biz\/exec thing.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And another went on to say that he is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153[n]ot sure why cocaine isn’t a bit more prevalent. Stimulants are a coder’s friend. I would imagine that speed would be more tempting. But it seems that caffeine manages to fill the need for most.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n