Marijuana is growing in the Wirtz computer lab via another computer virus.

Junior Kevin Brinkman, finance major and computer lab assistant at the Wirtz Hall computer lab, said the month-old virus is contaminating all the operating systems used in Wirtz.

Brinkman said the virus did not become particularly noticeable until about two weeks ago when the effects of the virus increased.

One of four messages promoting marijuana flashes on the screen for a couple of seconds and disappears, Brinkman said. Any bootable disc is suscepitible to the virus, he said.

However, the virus will not erase any files and can be removed from the disc relatively easily, Brinkman said.

The messages all promote the use of marijuana. “Your PC is stoned,” “Legalize marijuana,” “Don’t plant it, smoke it,” and “Happiness is pot shaped,” are all messages shown on the screen.

Brinkman said the only way students are in danger of their discs becoming infected with the virus is if they load their disc at the Wirtz Hall computer lab.

If a student’s disc does contract the virus, the disc should be disinfected. He said students should do this as soon as possible.

Wirtz has set up a “disinfectant station” in the computer lab. The station uses a special disc to clean any disc with the virus, Brinkman said.

NIU senior Rich Hornback, an operation management major and lab assistant, said the computer lab got the disenfectant disc from McAfee Associates, a company that makes disinfectant discs.

McAfee Associates created the disc because this particular virus has spread all over the nation.

There is no way to tell who put the virus in the system because it is so widespread, Brinkman said.

Brinkman said he believes the virus was started to inform people about the movement to legalize marijuana.