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ERIC Number: ED537628
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Apr
Pages: 8
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Other Drug Use and Abuse on Campus: The Scope of the Problem. Infofacts/Resources
Ross, Virginia; DeJong, William
Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention
Of all drugs abused on college and university campuses, alcohol causes the greatest harm. Other drugs (the prevention field uses the term "other drugs" to distinguish them from alcohol, which also is a drug) also take a significant toll--diminishing the quality of campus life, undermining academic performance, compromising students' health and safety--and therefore also warrant the attention of higher education administrators. Monitoring the shifting and varied patterns of illicit drug use and their effects presents a significant challenge to campus prevention professionals. An institution's response to student drug abuse should be crafted to take into account individual campus and community circumstances. A comprehensive prevention approach begins with defining the nature and scope of the problem and then seeking to understand and identify the environmental factors in the campus community that are encouraging substance use. Based on that information, administrators can select and implement a host of targeted environmental management strategies that can help students make healthier decisions. These include: (1) Offer and promote social, recreational, extracurricular, and public service options that do not include alcohol and other drugs; (2) Create a social, academic, and residential environment that supports health-promoting norms; (3) Limit the availability of other drugs both on and off campus; (4) Restrict marketing and promotion of clubs and raves; and (5) Develop and enforce campus policies and enforce local, state, and federal laws. (Contains 1 table and 8 online resources.)
Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention. EDC, Inc. 43 Foundry Avenue, Waltham, MA 02453. Tel: 800-676-1730; Fax: 617-928-1537; e-mail: HigherEdCtr@edc.org; Web site: http://www.edc.org/projects/higher_education_center_alcohol_drug_abuse_and_violence_prevention
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (ED); Education Development Center, Inc.
Authoring Institution: Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention (ED)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A