It's not the free-loving 1960s, and Duke is not planning to book the Grateful Dead to play in Cameron Indoor Stadium anytime soon, but illegal drugs--and perhaps increasingly more hard drugs--still play a significant role in campus life.
The U.S. Department of Education reported earlier this month that drug-related arrests on college campuses rose 10.2 percent in 2000. College officials consulted for that report attributed the rise to a more casual attitude toward marijuana use.
Duke, however, does not seem to be following the trend, with drug abuse violations for the University, including the Medical Center, falling from 27 in 1998 to 21 in 1999 and 20 in 2000. Maj. Robert Dean of the Duke University Police Department said violations in 2001, however, noticeably rose to 28.
Dean said he thought drug use was fairly constant on campus and doubted the variation over the past four years was significant. Additionally, he said the type of drugs have also remained consistent, mostly marijuana with a few ecstasy and cocaine cases.
He explained that chance played a role in the number of charges because campus police do not explicitly search for violators. "From time to time, officers will in their regular duties come across somebody in the act of doing drugs, and sometimes they might be investigating something totally different from drugs, but found on the person's possessions are drugs, so that would be an additional charge," Dean said.
Many Duke students and administrators disagreed with the report's assertion that marijuana is becoming more accepted on campus, arguing that it has been prominent on college campuses since the 1960s.
"I've been here for 30 years, and I arrived at Duke at a time when I think there was a rather casual attitude to marijuana," said Sue Wasiolek, assistant vice president for student affairs. "I would characterize the attitude somewhat the same. I think in between, it may have become less casual--more guarded and concern."
Senior Marco Garcia agreed but said people are now more open to illicit drugs after the national campaign against them in the 1980s. "You remember the OThis is your brain on drugs' commercial. When people try marijuana they found that their brains weren't fried," he said. "We realized it was kind of a lie, so now we really don't know anything. The only way we can find out is by experimentation."
Sophomore Levi Karnehm said he found that drug use was very casual at the University. "It seems to be pathetically easy to get, as there have been many times I have overheard people say that they wished they had some weed to smoke, and within a half hour or so, they have their hands on what they want. In that regard, I would say that it is only slightly harder to get weed on campus than it is to get cigarettes," he said.
Karnehm was arrested last semester for having chemicals that could be used to make ecstasy but has since been cleared of charges by the Undergraduate Judicial Board. He expects to be similarly cleared of felony charges at his Feb. 27 court date. He explained that his roommate had borrowed his credit card without permission to make the purchases and that he had never used or sold any illegal drugs.
Garcia said he has seen a rise in ecstasy use, which he attributed to greater availability and newfound popularity through the rave scene. He added that unless people are brash enough to smoke in the open, there is little chance of getting caught.
Some students, however, said they knew many of their peers treated drugs casually, but that they themselves did not.
"Among the people I hang out with, I don't think that's true," said junior Elizabeth Paulk.
Jim Clack, director of Counseling and Psychological Services, said more people have approached him to talk about drug problems in the last couple of years, with a few emerging cases of cocaine and crack cocaine. He said his goal is to articulate to the students he sees the physical, psychological and potentially criminal consequences of drug use.
"My attitude is, particularly for hard drugs, that it is dangerous and can lead to very severe consequences," Clack said. "OJust say no' doesn't work, so we don't say, OJust say no.'"
Karnehm said most users he knows are not drug addicts. "There are very few stereotypical drug users here, no Cheech and Chong types," he said. "Most are average looking and acting Duke students..., people you would think were pretty clean individuals, if you had never been to a party... where they were present."
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