Ohio University students may be drinking less, but drug use in on the rise, according to a survey from the Division of Student Affairs.
The Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Survey also reported an increase in the illegal use of some prescription drugs, as well as Ecstasy and LSD. The survey specifically asked students if they had used Ritalin, Adderall, Xanax or opiate medications in the past year and past 30 days.
According to the AOD survey, 16 percent of respondents said they'd used Ritalin or Adderall that wasn't prescribed to them, up from 10 percent in 2007, and 14 percent said they'd used Xanax, up from 9 percent.
Ritalin and Adderall are stimulants used primarily for treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. They are classified as Schedule II drugs, under the federal Controlled Substances Act, which means that they have a high potential for abuse, but have a currently accepted medical use in the United States.
Xanax is classified as a Schedule IV drug, which means that the drug has a relatively lower potential for abuse. Xanax, a depressant, is primarily used to treat anxiety attacks and other nervous disorders.
In January, surveys conducted as a part of the AlcoholEdu program showed a similar increase in prescription drug use among incoming freshmen.
However, OU Associate Director of Health Promotion Terry Koons said that both surveys' results were not representative of the true situation.
One of the problems with the surveys' data collection is some people have been using those drugs for prescribed reasons
Koons said. Did the number increase because students are overdosing themselves for recreational purposes? Did people start using drugs because they had more access being around people who have prescriptions and are selling them?
For some students, prescription drug abuse is a well-known issue.
It's really crazy how easy it is to get prescription drugs. You can find drugs through friends or someone who got hurt and has extra pills
said Alex Reisdorf, a senior studying exercise physiology. People use drugs like Ritalin to help them focus when they're studying or need to pull an all-nighter.
Prescription drug abusers typically get their drugs from legal sources, such as people with legitimate prescriptions, according to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Drug Intelligence Center
Jacki Legg, interim director of Hudson Health Center, refused to comment on pharmaceutical abuse on campus, but did emphasize that the center provided drug counseling services to those who needed it.
Hudson Health Center is here to treat individuals for a variety of things
Legg said. We do have counseling services and psychiatrists for individuals who feel that they have a drug problem.
OU is currently developing a prescription drug abuse education program known as Generation Rx. Dr. Kenneth Hale, Assistant Dean in the Ohio State University's College of Pharmacy and an adjunct professor at OU, will be working with the Office of Health Promotion to start the initiative this fall.
A similar Generation Rx program exists at OSU, modeled by Hale after OU's CHOICES program, which focuses on high-risk alcohol use. However, OU plans to add to OSU's model.
The Generation Rx program at OSU focuses on pharmaceutical abuse
but we're also going to add information about hallucinogens and other drugs we see being used on campus
Koons said.
He cited past student deaths involving hallucinogenic drugs as a reason for the addition to the program.
Koons sees the Generation Rx program as part of a comprehensive health education program, and added that the initiative was not developed in response to any new trend.
When we look at other drugs on campus
one of our challenges is that marijuana use is more prevalent than any other drug
he said. We're concerned by pharmaceutical drug abuse
but alcohol is the number one issue.
