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: Bridget Whelan, Athens NEWS Campus Reporter
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: OU STUDENTS WHO SELL POT

When we were children, television and movies taught us that drug 
deals typically follow a standard, impersonal formula: an order 
placed by anonymous phone call, a trip to the bank to withdraw exact 
cash, and finally, a wordless exchange on some dark corner.

But then we all grew up, came to Athens and realized that obtaining 
drugs is quite a bit easier than we had ever imagined. Many Ohio 
University students aren't only using illegal drugs, in this case, 
predominately marijuana, but are selling them as well.

Students who deal say it's no big deal and it's a great way to make 
money without getting a "real" job.

As one might expect, OU officials and the law, have a decidedly 
different point of view. Though the Athens Police Department chose 
not to respond for this series and the OU Police Department had no 
available figures about marijuana arrests, the Student Code of 
Conduct is proof enough that distribution of illegal substances 
(including pot) on campus is a serious matter. It is labeled a Code A 
offense in the student handbook, which could lead to suspension or 
expulsion, even for a first-time offense.

As for the criminal repercussions, they vary case by case, though any 
conviction for selling illegal drugs, including pot, carries the risk 
of serious jail or prison time and a permanent felony record.

The reasons students are taking the risk to sell drugs vary as well, 
but one thing is clear: there is a huge market here in Athens with 
serious cash to be made. This carries on a long tradition in Athens, 
where at least since the '60s, the occasional student has raised 
extra money with drug sales, and numerous permanent residents have 
lived off the profits of growing and selling pot and other drugs.

Asked about his illegal enterprise, an OU junior who sells marijuana 
out of his off-campus apartment, responded, "It's pretty much just 
economics. Instead of everyone getting weed from somewhere outside 
Athens, since I buy weed to smoke anyway, I just buy extra, sell the 
difference and make a profit. It's like an investment."

Like other drug-using or selling sources in this series, for obvious 
reasons, this junior only consented to be interviewed if we agreed 
not to identify him.

He explained that he has about 20 regular customers, mostly people he 
met in his dorm sophomore year, which is when he started dealing. He 
explained, though, that he frequently receives what he calls 
"friend-of-a-friend" calls from people who got his number from 
somebody else. He admitted that he is hesitant to sell to total 
strangers, but he usually does it anyway.

"I like to know who I am selling to, because I'm putting myself out 
there a little bit, so I need to trust that no one is going to screw 
me over or turn me in or something," he said. The student added that 
he has walked out of classes to go home and make a deal, and he 
wishes that his life weren't so tied up by selling marijuana.

"I have to always be available. Sometimes I get calls in the middle 
of the night from people who are like waiting outside my door," he explained.

Inside his home, he said, it's pretty obvious he deals drugs, though 
he has never been caught. He has a safe in his room where he keeps 
the large amounts of cash he brings in, a small scale to weigh out 
the marijuana, plastic baggies, and a square Tupperware container 
(about the size you might use for leftovers) filled with marijuana 
that he keeps in his closet.

"I don't know too many people with scales and safes that don't deal," 
he laughed. "It's pretty much a giveaway."

A SENIOR PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT also sells marijuana out of her home. She 
said she likes to keep things small and only sells to her roommates 
and close friends.

"I only sell to the people I would smoke with anyway," she said. She 
deals, she said, because it's easy for her to get her hands on large 
quantities of marijuana in her hometown.

"I know people who grow it in their backyard, so I can get a lot of 
it real cheap," she said.

She added that growing marijuana is something she has always wanted 
to try, but she has heard it's difficult because the plant needs a 
great deal of heat to thrive and because one individual plant only 
produces a small amount of weed.

"It seems like something you have to put some money into... buy 
several plants and heat lamps and stuff, and I'm not ready for that 
yet," she said. Plus, she added, friends who have grown the plant in 
their homes complain that the scent can become overbearing.

Another senior who sells marijuana is all about quality, not 
quantity. He said he does research before purchasing any type of 
marijuana, and he seeks out strands of the plant that are unique or 
unusual in some way.

"If you just want to sell middies," he said, after explaining that 
"middies" is a slang term for low-grade marijuana, "you're going to 
make less money and have a harder time getting rid of it all."

However, he said, he is willing to put more money up front to get 
higher-grade marijuana, sell it for more money and earn a better 
profit. This is the strategy he has employed since his senior year of 
high school. He then sold marijuana out of his dorm room freshman and 
sophomore year, before moving off-campus and expanding his operation.

For him, dealing is strictly business. He quit smoking marijuana a 
year ago and sells the drug just to "pay the bills."

"I quit smoking because it really does make you lazy, 
non-productive," he said. "I may be a drug dealer, but I don't want 
to be some stoner loser."

He broke his operation down money-wise and explained how it's worth 
the risk -- and the temptation. On a quarter-pound of pot, he said, 
he can net about $600 profit.

Since he doesn't smoke any of his own supply, he said he can count on 
selling anywhere from two to five quarter pounds per week, depending 
on what's available in the area.

"It's nice to be a college student who actually isn't broke," he 
joked. "I'm not calling home to Mom and Dad to send me money... I 
should be sending money to them." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake