Pubdate: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 Source: Athens News, The (OH) Copyright: 2006, Athens News Contact: http://www.athensnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1603 Author: Christopher Gohlke, Athens NEWS Campus Reporter Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/oxycontin.htm (Oxycontin/Oxycodone) SERIES TO LOOK AT DRUG USE AND SALES ON OU CAMPUS In the next several issues, The Athens NEWS will delve into the secret life of drugs, drug users and drug dealers on and around the Ohio University campus. From the legal to the forbidden, from one-time users to hardcore addicts, from all angles of this underground community, we will explore what it means to be a part of the subversive world of drugs in Athens. Due to the illicit nature of the topic, we have protected the identities of many of our sources by withholding their names from this series. In return, they have given us a candid look at what it's like to be a part of the OU drug culture. According to the Ohio University Police Department, 208 people were referred to University Judiciaries for drug violations last school year. An additional 41 were arrested for drug-related offenses. Richard Russell, a lieutenant with OUPD, said marijuana is by far the most prevalent illegal drug on campus. Because of this, The Athens NEWS has decided to take a deeper look into the drug by examining "pot" dealers separately from their consumers. While Russell said it's "very rare" that the OUPD encounters users of other drugs, our reporters have found students who use illicit drugs such as cocaine and proscribed prescription drugs such as OxyContin. Finally, we will take a broader look at a number of other drugs, such as Rohypnol (the "date-rape" drug), methamphetamines and "study drugs" such as Ritalin and Adderall. Russell said that looking at sheer numbers, alcohol abuse is a much bigger problem at OU than illicit drug use. "But drugs themselves are never a minor a problem when you have them," he said. A 2004 study of college students released by the University of Michigan found that more than a third had used marijuana at least once in the previous year. More than half had tried it in their lifetimes. The study found that nearly 28 percent had tried an illicit drug other than marijuana, including ecstasy, cocaine and amphetamines. Athens County Prosecutor C. David Warren maintained that drug use in the county is a "huge" problem. He said at least 60 to 70 percent of the cases he prosecutes on a regular basis involve drugs in some way. Often, Warren said, drug users will commit crimes by either driving impaired or stealing to support their habits. As opposed to the high number of marijuana users on campus, Warren said a recent influx of the painkiller OxyContin has moved to the top of the list of the most-abused drugs in the county. But most of the people who end up in local court are Athens residents, not OU students, Warren said. Most students who are caught with drugs on campus are sent to University Judiciaries rather than local court. The sale of any narcotic including marijuana is considered an A-level offense at Judiciaries, meaning penalties could be as serious as suspension or expulsion. While possession of most illegal drugs is also considered an A-level offense, possession of small amounts of marijuana is a B-level, less-serious offense, according to Judiciaries. Of all the cases heard by Judiciaries last school year, a little more than 1 percent led to suspension or expulsion; rather, most students were put on academic probation, with smaller numbers receiving a "reprimand" or having their cases dismissed. According to a local attorney who handles student drug cases, a student who's caught selling a bag of pot probably won't go to prison if he or she doesn't already have a significant criminal record. However, such an arrest isn't likely to happen unless police have already taken enough interest in the student as a possible dealer to set up a drug buy by an undercover agent. And in that scenario, a felony conviction for drug dealing is likely. OU may also expel or suspend the student, and can do so even before he or she is arraigned on the criminal charge. Except in a few cases, the felony conviction will also be there on the student's record for any future university or employer to see. In this issue and in subsequent editions of The Athens NEWS, we will examine these details as we further explore the drug culture at OU from the people who know best. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake