NYU POT USE ABOVE NATIONAL AVERAGE

Marijuana use at NYU is above the national average of U.S. colleges,
university drug and alcohol officials said.

In a survey administered by NYU last spring, 29 percent of NYU first-year
students reported using marijuana within 30 days prior to the survey -- a
full 10 percent above the national average, university Coordinator of Drug
and Alcohol Education Jane Bowman said.

Students use pot as a social activity or to reduce boredom, anxiety,
depression or stress, Bowman said.

Students said the social aspect of the drug accounts for its prevalence and
availability.

"I just keep meeting cool kids, and they'll sell you more for less," said
Danny, a Carlyle Court resident who smokes pot four to five days a week.
"It's a great way to make friends."

Danny, who has pot in his dorm and carries it to class and on NYU
Protection Services vans, said he is not afraid of getting caught by NYU
authorities.

"I don't think I've ever been worried about getting caught," Danny said.
"The hallways always smell like weed, but you can't track it to one room.
In general, most RAs don't want to get people in trouble. Why ruin
someone's good time?"

Dealers thrive on the social atmosphere marijuana provides, students said.

At one party this semester in a Lafayette dorm room, a student dealer
arrived and sold about $200 worth of pot to about 35 students, the party's
host said.

The host, who wished to be identified as Jim, said that while he once
purchased marijuana on the street as a freshman, he now only buys from
friends at NYU.

"The pot that you get from kids at NYU is not a rip-off, and it's really
good shit," Jim said.

The quality of marijuana being sold on the streets of New York is often
deficient, said Queens College of the City University of New York professor
Dr. Lynn Zimmer, an author of several books on marijuana-related crime.

"A lot of the marijuana being sold on the street is not really marijuana,"
she said.

Dan, a sophomore, said he was robbed last year while attempting to buy
marijuana with a friend in Schwartz Plaza on Washington Square South late
at night. After they became suspicious that the product was not genuine
marijuana, the dealer became hostile, convinced the two he had a gun in his
pocket and forced the students to surrender close to $100, he said.

"I'd say if you're gonna buy weed, buy in the dorms," Dan said. "There's no
point risking buying from a sketchy guy in the park."

Students who feel they have a problem with illegal or harmful substances
and are seeking help can contact NYU's Office of Drug and Alcohol Education
at 212.443.1220. Marijuana Anonymous meets Friday evenings from 6:15 p.m.
to 7:15 p.m. in room 406 of the Student Events Center.