Current Drug Trends at UWGB

In the land of Hollywood movies, college is the time in a young adults life for excessive partying with the copious consumption of alcohol and the constant pursuit of the opposite sex – maybe a little bit of studying here or there, if there is time.

          
And while life sometimes imitates art, recent studies have shown the decline of alcohol consumption amongst college age students.

           
According to the 2013 National Survey on drug use and health released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the consumption of alcohol in the past 30 days leading up to the survey by 18-20 year olds has been on the decline every year since 2009.

          
In Wisconsin, the trend in alcohol consumption amongst college age students may be on the same track as the national rate. Based on the Annual Security and Fire Safety report for each of the University of Wisconsin system college campuses, five campuses, including UW-Green Bay have seen declines in alcohol related arrests and disciplinary actions since 2011.

            
Mark Olkowski, who is in his fourteenth year as Assistant Dean of Students, deals with the disciplinary action for students who get themselves into trouble on campus. Olkowski recognizes the downward trend in alcohol use among UWGB students, but also notes “if you compare us with other UW’s, our students don’t drink a lot, we’re a fairly well behaved campus, we’re definitely not a party school.”

            
The decline in alcohol use could be contributed to a number of causes. In recent years, there have been a number of national anti-binge drinking campaigns, like the “parents, you’re not done yet” campaign launched by the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility. The PYNDY campaign is an online resource for parents of college age children to help talk about drinking responsibly.

            
Olkowski said his department is interested in why drinking has gone down on campus. One theory he suggests is the numbers might not accurately reflect the amount of drinking on campus and may have more to do with recent changes in campus housing rules.

           
“Housing has changed one of their policies with regards to noise violations, which usually- knocking on that loud door leads to the alcohol violations, if it’s not a quiet hour violation, are we missing something?” said Olkowski.

            
The decrease in drinking is seen as a positive trend by Olkowski. A negative trend? The rise in marijuana use on campus.

            
“Marijuana is up. I wouldn’t call it drastically but…it’s trending up. It has for at least three years…and as I talk to students, it seems like it’s becoming more accepted among the student population. I’m not surprised that’s a national trend,” said Olkowski.

            
A 2013 Galllup poll confirms this trend, finding for the first time the majority of Americans, 58 percent, support legalization of marijuana. The growing support follows the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana in two states; Washington and Colorado in 2012, and according to NORML, a marijuana law reform advocacy group, the 23 states where medical marijuana use is legal.

           
Another area for concern with student drug use, according to Olkowski, is the sale and illegal use of prescription stimulants, like Adderall, prescribed to students diagnosed with ADHD.

           
“I would say it’s prevalent [illegal prescription drug use]. I would say it’s happening here… there is concern of students actively selling their prescriptions,” said Olkowski.

            
According to the “Get the Facts” Campaign by the National Council on Patient Information and Education, college students are using prescription stimulants illegally in order to study and focus, stating that “one in four people aged 18 to 20 report using these medications non-medically at least once in their lives.”

            
The use of these stimulants is worrisome because of the addicting nature of the drugs, as well as possible negative medical reactions to a first time user.

            
A student using drugs and alcohol during their time in college is nothing new. For UWGB students, their consumption rates are on par with that of the national rates, which is both good and bad. While student drinking is going down, marijuana and illegal prescription pill use is on the rise. Only time will tell if these trends will continue or if they are just that – trends.