Pubdate: Thu, 19 Jan 2006
Source: Athens News, The (OH)
Copyright: 2006, Athens News
Contact:  http://www.athensnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1603
Author: Angela Rito, Athens NEWS Campus Reporter
Series: http://www.mapinc.org/source/Athens+News
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/topic/date+rape (date rape)
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)

DRUGS AMONG STUDENTS

Some Students Pop Pills for Studying, Stamina or Recreation

Editor's note: This is the second installment in a three-part series
examining the use and sale of illegal drugs on and around the Ohio
University campus. The final installment will be published on Monday.

Along with the more well-known drugs of abuse, such as alcohol,
marijuana and cocaine, some Ohio University students use an assortment
of other illegal drugs. They include prescription and "study" drugs,
as well as methamphetamines and "date-rape drugs."

Terry Koons, assistant director of substance-abuse education in OU's
Department of Health Education and Wellness, said students often
mistakenly believe that the un-prescribed use of prescription drugs
such as Ritalin and Adderall is harmless to their health. "They feel
that it's safe to use because it's a prescription," said Koons. "In
actuality, (the drug) is not safe in the way that the person is using
it."

According to Health Education and Wellness's "2005 Alcohol and Other
Drugs Survey at OU," of the 996 students who responded, 4 percent
admitted using Ritalin for non-medical reasons.

Koons explained that some students use drugs such as Adderall and
Ritalin, which are categorized as "psycho-stimulants," to get a
"second wind" after a night out in order to continue partying. The
pills, which are available in various dosages, can be swallowed, or
for a quicker, more intense effect, can be ground up and snorted
through the nose.

Students often acquire such drugs from other students who have
prescriptions.

One OU junior, who asked not to be identified for this story, said
that he has had a prescription for Adderall for several years, and
though he continues to fill it under his parents' insurance, he no
longer feels the need to take the drug himself. So he sells it
instead. "It's just such easy money," said the student. "It doesn't
cost me a thing, and it seems to always be in demand around here,
especially when finals week rolls around."

The student said he sells his 30-milligram extended-release Adderall
tablets for around $2.50 each. "It adds up fast," he said.

Koons said that it's not rare to hear about "drug seekers," a name
given to individuals who try to convince physicians that they suffer
from various illnesses in order to get a prescription. These "seekers"
commonly request drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin. The same sort of
thing occurs with painkillers such as Vicodin and Percocet.

In addition to using psycho-stimulant drugs to stay awake, some
students use them to boost studying stamina. Many students who use
Adderall and Ritalin for study purposes said that they experienced a
marked increase in their ability to concentrate after popping one of
these pills.

"It's not a big deal," said one OU junior who admitted to taking four
Adderall pills over the course of finals week last quarter. "It helps
me study. Actually, I can't study without it."

Too much of one of these drugs can be a "big deal," however, as an
overdose can lead to confusion, hallucinations, panic, vomiting, an
irregular heartbeat, and in some cases, seizures.

In addition, the unauthorized sale or possession of prescription drugs
can lead to serious criminal consequences, including time in jail.

A conviction for the unauthorized sale of prescription drugs can net a
person up to seven years in prison and heavy fines, with the penalty
depending on whether the drug in question is categorized as a
"Schedule II, III, IV or V" controlled substance, how much is sold,
and whether the case is prosecuted as a state or federal crime. Lesser
penalties can be expected if you're caught in possession of
unauthorized prescription drugs, though as with the sale of these
drugs, potential penalties increase with the amount and type of drug
possessed.

Under OU's Student Code of Conduct, either possession or sale of
unauthorized prescription drugs may result in the full range of
penalties at the university's disposal, up to and including expulsion.
The only drug violation that has milder penalties under the Code of
Conduct is possession of small quantities of marijuana.

In addition to prescription drugs like Adderall and Ritalin, the
highly addictive, heavy painkiller oxycodone hydrochloride (trade name
"OxyContin") exists on campus and has become common in the outside
community. OxyContin is part of the opiate family of drugs that
includes morphine and codeine; it is different from other painkillers
in that it has an increasing analgesic effect with increased doses.
(The more you take, the higher you get.) In addition, as with other
opiates, once someone is "hooked" on OxyContin, withdrawal can be
painful and difficult.

Dr. Joe Gay, executive director of the Athens-based agency Health
Recovery Services, said that he has seen a dramatic rise over the last
four years in clients who abuse prescription drugs, particularly
OxyContin and other opiates.

"There has been a rise in the number of deaths in Athens and
surrounding counties due to the use of these drugs," he confirmed.
(See related article in this issue.)

Gay also noted an alarming rise in the number of area teenagers
abusing prescription drugs such as OxyContin.

The "2005 Alcohol and Other Drugs Survey at OU" reports that 8 percent
of students admitted to using prescription painkillers for
recreational purposes. According to Gay, OxyContin has become the best
known of these painkillers, with Vicodin and Percocet coming in a
close second and third.

"It's my absolute favorite drug to do," admitted one OU senior of
OxyContin. "I see it as a social thing to do with friends... It just
makes you feel good."

The student, who like the others asked not to be identified, said he
purchases the pills from a friend who gets them from a cancer patient
in his hometown. He said that he usually buys the pills, which range
in dosage from 10 to 160 milligrams, for about 50 cents per milligram.
The senior said that he also uses the painkillers Vicodin and
Percocet, usually consuming four or five pills after a "hard night of
drinking."

"I just take as much as I can," he said. The student said that he
knows when he has reached his limit because he experiences nausea and
slowed breathing.

Aside from prescription drug abuse, Gay said that it is difficult to
measure the magnitude of the recent methamphetamine epidemic, which
Terry Koons cited as "the fastest-growing drug problem in the country."

Though methamphetamine abuse is more popular in urban areas, Gay said
signs clearly indicate that use of the drug is growing in this area,
even on the OU campus.

The highly accessible nature of the ingredients needed to make
methamphetamines (many can be found in a common household), which can
be produced quickly and at low cost, has contributed to the rapid
growth in usage.

Gay said that currently fewer than 10 percent of his clients are
admitted for methamphetamine abuse. "The epidemic has not reached
treatment agencies yet," he said. Gay noted that most users do not
seek treatment unless they get into trouble with the law and are
forced to find help.

Though their prevalence is hard to measure, Health Education and
Wellness at Hudson Health Center maintains that predatory or "date
rape" drugs do exist on the OU campus.

According to Koons, the most commonly used predatory drug is alcohol,
though sexual assaults often occur spontaneously after both parties
have become intoxicated. However, though many times they go
unreported, potentially predatory drugs such as Rohypnol,
tranquilizers, GHB and Ecstasy have been used in combination with
alcohol in some sexual assaults. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake