Pubdate: Fri, 20 Sep 2002
Source: Michigan Daily (MI Edu)
Copyright: 2002 The Michigan Daily
Contact:  http://www.michigandaily.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/582
Author: Soojung Chang, Daily Staff Reporter

COCAINE USE QUIET, LOW WITHIN 'U' COMMUNITY

When it comes to substance abuse on the University campus, many students do 
not think cocaine use is a major issue when compared to consumption of 
alcohol and other drugs.

"I haven't seen it as a problem," LSA freshman Greg Baumann said. "I've 
been to enough parties, but I haven't seen any use of it." According to the 
2001 University of Michigan Student Life Survey of undergraduate students 
conducted by the Student Abuse Research Center, the percentage of students 
who reported cocaine use is small compared to other substances.

The survey found that 1.9 percent reported using cocaine in the past year, 
while 0.9 percent reported use in the past month. The survey also included 
prevalence rates for other drugs in the past year, such as alcohol (86 
percent), marijuana (33 percent), ecstasy (7 percent), tranquilizers (2 
percent), inhalants (2 percent) and crystal methamphetamine (0.2 percent).

"I don't hear about a lot of people doing it on this campus. I definitely 
know more people who do a lot of other drugs," RC sophomore James Scott 
Duthie said. "There's been a few times when it's been offered to me at 
parties but I don't know of anyone who does it regularly."

But an LSA sophomore and former cocaine addict said he knows a lot of 
students who use the drug occasionally. The student, who requested to 
remain anonymous, recently admitted himself into off-campus rehabilitation 
for drug use.

"I didn't like the people I was hanging out with, they were all users, and 
I really realized that I wasn't happy most of the time." He said students 
who use cocaine usually fall into two groups - those who occasionally use 
it at parties and those who use it as a study aid.

"They'll do it when they're a little stressed," he said. "When you're 
fatigued, you can forget that you're tired. It gives you a little push." He 
also said the drug is fairly easy to obtain on campus. "There's a very 
large drug community in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti," he said, adding that 
there are certain areas where students can go to purchase cocaine and some 
students bring supplies from their home communities.

"There's a lot of people who, as a side job, use their connections from 
back home."

He sought help at the University's Counseling and Psychological Services 
but said he would not recommend it to other addicts. "They're really good 
with alcoholism. They don't have the resources for major drug addiction."

Patrice Flax, the Alcohol and Other Drugs Campus Initiatives Coordinator at 
University Health Services, said her office mostly focuses on student 
alcohol abuse. "So many of the problems that students struggle with are 
related to alcohol," Flax said.

She said there are resources available such as informational pamphlets for 
students who are struggling with cocaine addiction. They often refer 
students seeking help to Counseling and Psychological Services.

But Flax said the University has no initiatives underway to combat cocaine 
use, although they would consider doing it in the future if officials 
notice any sudden changes in student usage. "We're always monitoring the 
student survey information," she said.

Sean McCabe, an assistant research scientist at the University Substance 
Abuse Research Center, said the prevalence of cocaine use at the University 
is lower than the national average of 4.7 percent for college students 
according to Monitoring the Future, a study conducted by the National 
Institute on Drug Abuse. "The prevalence of several other drugs among 
University undergraduates are also lower than national averages," McCabe said.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart