IS DRUG USE WIDESPREAD AT TECH?

Students Eager To Weigh In, But Not Always On The Record

At a school ranked by the Princeton Review as one of the top
universities where students "Don't Inhale," it's no wonder that a few
drug-related incidents in the weekly police crime reports caught our
attention at the Technique.

Recently, police arrested a person for possession of ecstasy with
intent to distribute at Techwood Drive and Fourth Street. Police also
caught students on East Campus for possession of marijuana.

So what's the real story behind drugs at Tech? Are we really as
drug-free as we seem-or is it that we can't smell the pot smoke right
under our noses?

Prompted by these two incidents, students in a variety of majors were
asked to express their opinions about the state of drugs on campus.

Though students jumped at the chance to contribute to the discussion,
almost all wished to remain anonymous.

Many felt that drug use is not a big deal, even if they did not use
drugs. "Drug use is not a problem at Georgia Tech," said a Building
Construction junior. "It is no different than at any other college.
Smoking pot is a very normal thing for any young person to do or to
experiment with."

"I see drugs affecting students negatively only in limited cases," he
added.

An Industrial Engineering junior agreed. "Well, I think [marijuana is]
prominent, but not a problem," she said. "Whoever wants to smoke,
smokes, and whoever doesn't, doesn't."

One student, a Computer Science sophomore, likened drug use to alcohol
use. "[Drugs can be] the same as 'doing alcohol' if you can keep it to
one day or on the weekend," he said. "Drugs don't affect your
schooling, but becoming a druggie does when it takes over your life."

Many students knew at least a few who smoked marijuana, and some
students knew very many who smoked.

Interestingly, most students also made a clear distinction between
marijuana and other "harder" drugs.No interviewees said they knew a
lot of students who did these harder drugs, let alone abuse them.

Some pointed out that students who abused harder drugs would probably
quickly fail out of Tech.

"I think [students at Tech are] smart enough to know not to get
involved in the hard drugs," a sixth-year Computer Engineering major
said. "If people have a hard enough time coping with reality, they'll
look for better ways to ease their pain. With the attrition rate we've
got, it probably has some to do with drug use, but I think the numbers
are going down."

Another concern that was also brought up was the possible abuse of
pharmaceutical drugs that aren't generally thought of as drugs. For
example, caffeine pills are available, and drugs normally prescribed
for ADD or anxiety may also help students to get through a long night
or week.

"Many students I know at Tech use the popular prescription drugs
Adderall and Xanax on a regular basis," one Management major said.
"They assume that these drugs are safe since they are produced by
pharmaceutical companies. In fact, this is anything but the case."

Other students noted that Tech's rigorous academic atmosphere could
potentially encourage drug use.

"Drugs certainly provide a necessary release from the trials and
tribulations at Tech," said the Building Construction junior quoted
previously. "I myself cannot see any perceptible difference in GPA
between those I know who use and those who do not," he said.

On the other hand, some students agreed with the perception of Tech as
a relatively drug-free institution.

One Chemical Engineering senior said that she knew more students who
abstained from drugs than students who did drugs. "Drugs make things
more difficult, but they aren't a problem unless you do the harder
ones," she said.

A group of History, Technology and Society majors also agreed that
they knew only a few students who did drugs. "Georgia Tech is known
for its low percentage of drugs on campus," one said.

According to the Georgia Tech Police Department, so far in 2004 there
have only been 10 total drug-related arrests, including DUIs. Many of
them were marijuana-related.

Those in possession of small amounts of marijuana are given a Level 2
offense, equal to two alcohol offenses.

There have also been 17 Code of Conducts; Residence Life Staff deals
with these cases. "The case will go to the Dean of Students only if
the student has committed an offense that could get him or her
expelled," said Dan Morrison, associate director for residence life.

"It's the smell that alerts us most of the time. It's usually freshman
who get caught because they have not developed sophisticated means of
smoking and hiding it yet," Morrison said.

"Drugs other than marijuana are not really a problem on campus, but we
do have a drug-related incident about every two weeks," he added.
"When someone is suspected of distributing, we alert the RLC and the
supervisor and decide what to do next. Housing staff are told to alert
the RLC if they smell anything suspicious."

"There is a lot of drug use on the east side of campus," said Carla
Cook, a GTPD Crime Prevention Officer. However, despite the recent
drug incidents, Cook said there's no evidence of a trend in increasing
drug usage. "I don't know if the number of incidents have increased
from last year, but my guess is that it is probably about the same."