In what may be the least surprising survey result in recent memory, lacrosse players smoke the most marijuana among all college athletes.
According to a recent anonymous NCAA survey conducted among both male and female athletes, 46% of male lacrosse players reported smoking marijuana, followed by 33% of male swimmers, 31% of male soccer players, and 28% of male wrestlers. The women’s survey produced the same results, with female lacrosse players topping the list with 21%, followed by field hockey players with 20%, swimmers with 20%, and soccer players with 18%.
Only 11% of female and 18% of male track athletes reported smoking marijuana. But it should be noted, however, that the results were self-reported and should be taken with a grain of salt, as Kyle Wagner of Deadspin/Regressing noted. “College athletes usually aren’t anxious to tell their schools they’re doing drugs, even on anonymous surveys administered by the NCAA,” he wrote.
Self-reported marijuana use differed by NCAA division as well. Division III athletes admitted to using more marijuana than their fellow Division II and Division I athletes.