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." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake