HEALTH OFFICIAL WARNS OF TREND DRUG DANGERS

As a method of countering the evils of trend drugs, including GHB, a
representative from the University Health Center increased awareness among
students at an information session held in the Nyumburu Cultural Center's
multi-purpose room last night.

The event, part of "Be Safe, Be Smart" week, was co-sponsored by the health
center and the Black Student Union.

Leah McGrath, coordinator of substance abuse prevention, discussed the
dangers of today's trend drugs with an audience of 10 students. The talk
ranged from such drugs as marijuana and alcohol to abused prescription
drugs, such as oxycontin and adderal.

McGrath, a campus alumna, illustrated the effects of alcohol, by letting
the audience try on "beer goggles," which demonstrated the visual
impairments induced by alcohol. Audience members tried to walk a straight
line and play catch with a paper ball while wearing the goggles.

As part of a second demonstration, McGrath handed out note cards and had
audience members write down how many alcoholic drinks they thought the
average college student consumes per week. Although the majority of the
students wrote 26+ drinks per week, they were wrong. A recent survey showed
that 69 percent of college students consume an average of 0-5 drinks per
week, much less than the college student stereotypes suggest.

McGrath discussed the effects of alcohol, and how to help someone who has
consumed too many drinks. She also offered a list of possible options that
university students have as alternatives to drinking and driving. Students
can ride the Shuttle UM bus, use 4-CALL to get a personal shuttle or call
for a police escort.

Following the discussion of alcohol, marijuana was next on the drug chain.
A 1998 college survey of the university found 19 percent of students had
used marijuana in the month before the survey.

The effects of the trend drug gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) were also touched
upon during the discussion. GHB was named as a contributing factor to the
death of 20-year-old university student Alexander Klochkoff in September of
last year. McGrath said GHB has only become popular in the past few years,
and is used mainly in urban areas, including Washington.

Freshman Brian Calvery said he thought the session, although poorly
attended, was helpful because it focused less on the prevention of drug use
and more on increasing drug awareness.

"I wouldn't have heard of it if I hadn't been told about it through e-mail
for a sociology class," said Calvery, a letters and sciences major. "I
thought there should have been more people there because it was pretty
informative."

This drug awareness seminar was the second of three events in "Be Safe, Be
Smart" week. The third and final event will be tonight at 7 in Tawes
Theater, where Dr. Lonise Bias, mother of former Maryland basketball
standout Len Bias will be giving a lecture entitled "A Message of Hope."

Len Bias died from a cocaine overdose in 1986.