In response to what seems a national trend across college campuses, Northwestern Health Services has increased its efforts to prevent prescription drug abuse on campus.
Students this week can drop off outdated or unusable prescription and over the counter drugs at Health Services Pharmacy, as part of a drive initiated by University Residential Life. Proper pharmaceutical drug disposal can prevent theft or other misuse, according to Senior Assistant Director of University Residential Life Virginia Koch.
“The rate of prescription [drug] misuse has increased dramatically in the last five years, and it looks like Northwestern is no exception,” said Michele Morales, Director of Health Education.
Morales cited statistics that say almost 10 percent of Northwestern students have reported misusing amphetamines in their lifetime. While this statistic includes both prescription stimulants and crystal meth, Morales said she suspects most of that number comes from prescription drug use.
Koch, in collaboration with Health Services, instituted Campus Safety Week to follow up with the safety training new students received during Wildcat Welcome. The focus on pharmaceuticals came after a workshop Koch attended, which “reinforced [that] there’s a larger problem that I wasn’t aware of going on.”
Amphetamines, such as Ritalin or Adderall prescribed for ADD/ADHD, are the most commonly abused prescription substances, followed by sedatives and opiates, according to Morales.
“I’ve seen a group of people break [Adderall] up and snort it before studying,” said McCormick senior Kurt Benkendorf. Benkendorf has also watched as students used Adderall powder to create a tea, hoping to increase focus for finals.
SESP senior Carynn Christianson also sees amphetamines as the most common prescription drug abused by Northwestern students. “I heard of a girl who purposefully failed an ADD test so she could get Ritalin prescribed,” Christianson said.
Christianson attributes amphetamine use to the Northwestern student’s ambition. “Intensity drives people,” she said. “It’s not like ‘I want to party.’”
Northwestern has taken steps beyond Campus Safety Week to ensure prevention and awareness. Community Advisor training this year included information on pharmaceuticals and how to identify a user.
“[Unlike] regular drugs like marijuana or cocaine, these might actually be more prevalent, and if you’re in a dorm room you’re not actually going to draw your attention to them,” said Weinberg junior Craig Spencer, a fourth floor CA in Allison.
“If Tylenol is sitting by the side of the bed, you’re not going to look at that and think something is wrong,” he said. Spencer was told to instead look for students’ reactions and overall demeanor, to see how they’re handling the stresses of school and college life.
McCormick senior Kwang Xiong, a CA at ISRC, also received the new training. “I know its a problem,” said Xiong. “I haven’t had any instances yet…[but] if I see these problems I can help.”
[Full Disclosure: Author lives in Allison Hall, where Craig Spencer works as a CA.]