Pubdate: Fri, 09 Sep 2005
Source: Daily Evergreen, The (WA Edu)
Copyright: The Daily Evergreen Online 2005
Contact:  http://www.dailyevergreen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2843
Author: Ryan Bentley
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

CAMPUS DRUGS

More and more in WSU studetns are bringing their habits from home.

Authorities at WSU worry students' attitudes toward drugs have led to 
increased usage.

"We are only getting the tip of the iceberg," said Lt. Scott West of 
the WSU Police Department. "We take five to 10 reports of odors a 
week from people in residence halls, he said. Normally we develop two 
to three cases that end up in an arrest."

West said marijuana appears to be the drug of choice on campus, 
although many students also seem to abuse prescription medications. 
West said he has seen everything from mushrooms to LSD although the 
number of people found to use more elicit drugs pales in comparison 
to the people using marijuana. West compared marijuana to beer and 
said in the party scene, the two have started to have equal usage by students.

"Most students using dope do not see it as any big deal," West said. 
"They have a tendency to think drinking and smoking dope is part of 
the college lifestyle and the consequences will not follow them when 
they leave here. That just is not the case. If a student graduates 
with a drug conviction on their record, that student will have to 
answer to that conviction the rest of their life and that can really 
hurt, especially if they are trying to get a government job."

Scott said the WSU Police began to notice an increase in drug 
prevalence five to seven years ago as officers pulling speeders over 
or stopping pedestrians for irregular behavior began to find more 
drugs and paraphernalia. West said the switch from recreational use 
to a lifestyle does not happen once they start coming to WSU. He said 
the majority of drug users developed their habit back home and 
brought it with them and they continue to use marijuana or other 
drugs thinking it will fit in with college life. West said that just is not so.

"The university has taken a dramatic stance on drugs," West said. 
"Every year, we train the floor Resident Advisors on how to spot drug 
usage in the dorms. And we have tried to inform students of the 
consequences of their actions."

The WSU police do not tackle the drug problem alone. They work 
together with the Quad City Task Force that is staffed with law 
enforcement from Pullman, Moscow, Lewiston and Clarkston. Each 
department has personnel focused in rooting out drug traffickers and 
users in the greater Palouse region. West said although the WSU 
police department does not have an officer devoted to the task force, 
if they cannot fully investigate an incident, they will hand the case 
over to the task force.

"We work quite closely with the WSU Police and Pullman Police," said 
Brett Myers, Whitman County sheriff and the task force's 
spokesperson. "Unfortunately, due to the lack of resources, a lot of 
times we end up playing firemen on drug cases, reacting to what has 
already happened. WSU had a problem and that problem is not getting 
any better."

Myers said on campus the task force has not seen the large presence 
of methamphetamines that has become prevalent in the rest of the 
county. He said the group finds students bringing drugs with them to 
Pullman when they return from the West Coast or Spokane. Growing pot 
around campus has not presented much of a problem, West said. The 
largest bust the WSU department ever made held just over 30 marijuana 
plants, he said. Authorities see drug usage shifting from 
experimentation and recreation to a more serious habit for students 
on and off campus among the student body. Myers said the supply and 
demand is less of a concern than the mentality surrounding the drug culture.

"As a society we have a habit of saying a little drug experimentation 
is OK for young people when they venture off onto their own," Myers 
said. "In actuality the experimentation affects everyone and often 
times leads to addiction."

West and Myers speculate several students fund their college 
education by dealing drugs.

"People think we come down too hard on people for using drugs," Myers 
said. "They do not see the big picture like we do. We see the 
devastation addiction causes and the ruined lives it leaves behind."
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