Pubdate: Tue, 27 Apr 2010
Source: Chronicle, The (Duke U, NC Edu)
Copyright: 2010 Duke Student Publishing Company
Contact:  http://www.dukechronicle.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2269
Authors: Ciaran OConnor and Rachna Reddy

DUKE'S DYNAMIC DRUG SCENE LARGELY MUTED

Marijuana, Cocaine Use Contrast Dominant Alcohol Culture

Whether it is shotgunned in the Blue Zone before a football game or 
mixed with soda at a section party, alcohol appears to be a dietary 
staple for most of the student body.

For some students, however, partying hard entails far more than 
liquid intoxication. At Duke, illicit drug users constitute an active 
minority that operates largely unnoticed.

Approximately 68 percent of Duke undergraduates reported drinking in 
the 30 days before they completed last Spring's National College 
Health Assessment Survey. Just less than 10 percent said they had 
used marijuana in that time period.

Students interviewed described the hard drug scene at Duke as 
secretive but dynamic, with cocaine use especially prevalent.

Tom Szigethy, associate dean and director of the Alcohol and 
Substance Abuse Prevention Center, estimated that 1 to 3 percent of 
students recreationally use drugs other than alcohol and marijuana.

"In my over 11 years at Duke, I can only think of a handful of times 
when we have actually found a student in possession of cocaine," 
Stephen Bryan, associate dean of students and director of the Office 
of Student Conduct, wrote in an e-mail.

Nevertheless, Bryan is aware that just because administrators rarely 
catch students using or dealing drugs does not necessarily mean that 
some are not doing so.

Drug culture at Duke is discreet and diverse. Members of the 
community range from the casual weed smoker to the enterprising 
student who deals 8-balls--about 3.5 grams of cocaine--out of his dorm room.

For drug dealers at the University, business is cyclical, waxing and 
waning throughout the semester. Felix, a junior and former drug 
dealer whose name has been changed for his protection, said demand 
for his products was high during the drop/add period and dipped 
during finals week. In a typical week, he would sell 1.5 pounds of 
marijuana and roughly 3 ounces of cocaine. He earned an estimated 
$6,000 profit from weekly sales--$4,000 from marijuana and $2,000 from cocaine.

"My place had a revolving door on it," he said. "All hours, people 
would be knocking on my door [and] calling me."

Who Uses?

Men tend to play a greater role than women in Duke's drug scene. They 
are typically the primary purchasers and are more often caught in possession.

This year, the Office of Student Conduct has received 41 reports of 
suspected drug use---- and 14 students have been found in violation 
of the University's drug policy, Bryan said. All offenders were male.

Indeed, the NCHA survey showed that men use marijuana about 50 
percent more often than do women--at a rate of 12.8 percent versus 
8.3 percent, respectively.

"I haven't come across many female potheads in my lifetime," said 
Alec, a recent graduate who distributed marijuana, cocaine, 
psilocybin mushrooms and mephedrone at Duke, among other drugs. His 
name has also been changed for privacy purposes.

Felix's clients were usually men. With cocaine, though, he felt guys 
typically made the purchase and then gave half or more of it to girls for free.

"There's definitely a fair amount of glorified prostitution," he 
said, "But I guess that's just indigenous to the drug."

Student dealers said they obtained their products through a variety 
of sources, both in Durham and outside the state, to capitalize on a 
social structure that permits drugs to flow to those who seek them.

All students who said they distributed drugs acknowledged providing 
them to fraternity-affiliated clients.

"The [greek] system definitely facilitates sales," Felix said. "It 
makes it really easy to get the word out."

He added that fraternities typically cater toward freshmen who want 
to experiment with drugs.

Freshman Michael Hoyle said the fraternities he rushed provided 
mostly alcohol and sometimes offered marijuana in more private settings.

"It definitely wouldn't surprise me to hear some fraternities used 
[harder] drugs during rush," Hoyle said. "I guess it just depends on 
the kind of people they're trying to attract."

Echoing this notion, Szigethy said drug activity depends on the 
specific organization, with some placing a greater emphasis on 
partying than others.

A Line Between Use and Abuse

Students deeply immersed in the drug environment may find themselves 
more consumed by the substances than they had originally intended.

Felix said he eventually stopped handling cocaine because his 
customers became too intrusive and he grew concerned about his 
friends' relationships with the drug.

"I would like to see them not destroy their lives," he said, adding 
that while selling cocaine, the line between making easy money and 
running an exploitative criminal enterprise sometimes blurred. Felix 
noted that he refused cocaine to friends who appeared dependent.

Alec, who stressed that he never earned profit on the drugs he 
transferred, said he never cut anyone off from his supplies.

"There have been a lot of people that I've introduced a certain 
substance to and I've watched them abuse the s-- out of it, and that 
makes me a little sad sometimes," he said. "But at the same time, 
life is all about personal choice."

Alec quit using cocaine months ago for health reasons but said he 
struggled with the drug late in his undergraduate years.

"It was really difficult to get out of it mainly because the majority 
of my friends were also in it," Alec said, adding that he would use 
cocaine to study, party and "numb emotional pain."

Students often get high to mask pain or deal with stress, Szigethy 
said, noting that the impetus to use drugs is often a deeper problem 
than the substance itself.

Some students, however, feel they can use drugs recreationally 
without compromising other aspects of their lives.

As a frequent pot smoker, Oscar--a sophomore whose name has also been 
changed--said he has a code of conduct for himself. Each morning he 
makes a checklist of tasks he must complete that day. When they are 
done, he can smoke.

"There are a lot of really functional, recreational drug users at 
this school," Felix said. "That could be anything from smoking weed 
after a test to going to the bathroom and laying a line out on a 
bathroom pull-down [during a test]."

Szigethy said, however, that those who use drugs should think about 
the quality of their lives, even if they are able to complete 
coursework on time.

"If people really feel they're getting the full experience of their 
lives and they're doing drugs, why are they doing the drugs?" he asked.

Christine Pesetski, assistant dean for off-campus and mediation 
services, said student drug users may face dropping grades and low 
class attendance in addition to addiction.

"I don't know anybody who used drugs the way I used that was 
successful at school," said Jason Rice, Trinity '98.

For Rice, who was arrested in a Durham crack house in the Spring of 
1996, being a functioning substance user was impossible.

"I had so much opportunity and potential and I basically said, 'You 
know what, that's good stuff, but I would much rather just get 
high,'" he recounted. "And I never really got anything out of it, 
other than just getting high and maybe some temporary relief from 
some emotional pain. And eventually what I ended up with was a lot of 
guilt, shame and remorse."

Rice acknowledged, however, that not everyone shares his propensity 
for addiction. He has been sober for 12 years.

A Tight-Lipped Institution

The drug scene usually plays out behind closed doors. Students said 
Duke's campus provides ample privacy for getting high and making 
transactions, rendering extreme precautions unnecessary.

"They're not going to try to figure out a bunch of kids are dealing 
coke out of their dorms," Felix said. "Doing drugs on this campus is 
not difficult. Even if the cops do come to your dorm room, you can 
just wait them out, and if you're quiet for an hour, they'll just leave."

Bryan said searches of students' residences without consent are rare 
and added that they are only conducted if there is probable cause to 
believe illegal substances are present. Usually, residences are not 
searched unless criminal search warrants are issued by the Duke 
University Police Department.

DUPD Chief John Dailey wrote in an e-mail that the police department 
most often receives calls from housing staff and students reporting 
the smell of marijuana. At a minimum, those caught are referred to 
Student Conduct--some may also face criminal charges.

Still, Duke's hard drug culture remain unseen for most students.

"You don't really see it... unless you're actively searching for it," 
sophomore Mike Sullivan said.

Bryan said he hopes those students who do seek out illegal substances 
will consider the consequences.

"How much have they shortchanged themselves because of the 
impediments presented through their drug use?" he asked.

Alec, though, perceives his drug use differently.

"I think it increased my social life by leaps and bounds," he said. 
"I'm in an environment that sucks... and the only escape slash fun 
side of it on the weekend is to binge drink or do drugs."
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake