SERIES TO LOOK AT DRUG USE AND SALES ON OU CAMPUS

In the next several issues, The Athens NEWS will delve into the
secret life of drugs, drug users and drug dealers on and around the
Ohio University campus.

From the legal to the forbidden, from one-time users to hardcore
addicts, from all angles of this underground community, we will
explore what it means to be a part of the subversive world of drugs in Athens.

Due to the illicit nature of the topic, we have protected the
identities of many of our sources by withholding their names from
this series. In return, they have given us a candid look at what it's
like to be a part of the OU drug culture.

According to the Ohio University Police Department, 208 people were
referred to University Judiciaries for drug violations last school
year. An additional 41 were arrested for drug-related offenses.

Richard Russell, a lieutenant with OUPD, said marijuana is by far the
most prevalent illegal drug on campus. Because of this, The Athens
NEWS has decided to take a deeper look into the drug by examining
"pot" dealers separately from their consumers.

While Russell said it's "very rare" that the OUPD encounters users of
other drugs, our reporters have found students who use illicit drugs
such as cocaine and proscribed prescription drugs such as OxyContin.

Finally, we will take a broader look at a number of other drugs, such
as Rohypnol (the "date-rape" drug), methamphetamines and "study
drugs" such as Ritalin and Adderall.

Russell said that looking at sheer numbers, alcohol abuse is a much
bigger problem at OU than illicit drug use. "But drugs themselves are
never a minor a problem when you have them," he said.

A 2004 study of college students released by the University of
Michigan found that more than a third had used marijuana at least
once in the previous year. More than half had tried it in their lifetimes.

The study found that nearly 28 percent had tried an illicit drug
other than marijuana, including ecstasy, cocaine and amphetamines.

Athens County Prosecutor C. David Warren maintained that drug use in
the county is a "huge" problem. He said at least 60 to 70 percent of
the cases he prosecutes on a regular basis involve drugs in some way.

Often, Warren said, drug users will commit crimes by either driving
impaired or stealing to support their habits.

As opposed to the high number of marijuana users on campus, Warren
said a recent influx of the painkiller OxyContin has moved to the top
of the list of the most-abused drugs in the county.

But most of the people who end up in local court are Athens
residents, not OU students, Warren said. Most students who are caught
with drugs on campus are sent to University Judiciaries rather than
local court.

The sale of any narcotic including marijuana is considered an A-level
offense at Judiciaries, meaning penalties could be as serious as
suspension or expulsion. While possession of most illegal drugs is
also considered an A-level offense, possession of small amounts of
marijuana is a B-level, less-serious offense, according to Judiciaries.

Of all the cases heard by Judiciaries last school year, a little more
than 1 percent led to suspension or expulsion; rather, most students
were put on academic probation, with smaller numbers receiving a
"reprimand" or having their cases dismissed.

According to a local attorney who handles student drug cases, a
student who's caught selling a bag of pot probably won't go to prison
if he or she doesn't already have a significant criminal record.

However, such an arrest isn't likely to happen unless police have
already taken enough interest in the student as a possible dealer to
set up a drug buy by an undercover agent. And in that scenario, a
felony conviction for drug dealing is likely. OU may also expel or
suspend the student, and can do so even before he or she is arraigned
on the criminal charge. Except in a few cases, the felony conviction
will also be there on the student's record for any future university
or employer to see.

In this issue and in subsequent editions of The Athens NEWS, we will
examine these details as we further explore the drug culture at OU
from the people who know best.