Fact or Myth: Drug Free School Zones

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Starting college right out of high school, students experience a new sense of freedom. Students are able to come and go as they please, hang out with whoever they want, and stay up late as they desire. The decisions students make is a test of their morals and lessons they have developed throughout their lives. A decision that students across the country are making is the choice to use various different types of drugs. The variety of drugs that are being abused range from alcohol to over-the-counter prescription drugs. As Joseph A. Califano says in his article, Wasting the Best and the Brightest: Alcohol and Drug Abuse on College Campuses, he criticizes the following from his research, […] “a disturbing ambiance of hedonistic self-indulgence and an alarming public health crisis on college campuses across the nation,” (Califano). A campus that seems to be an expert at self-indulgence with different drugs is the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. UWO is currently ranked fifth in the country for student arrests for having possession of illegal drugs, (“Drugs on Campus”). The use of illegal drugs has become a problem nationwide; however, focusing solely on the students at UWO allows a more personal connection. Being able to see firsthand the experiences of our peers using different types of drugs and also being pressured by our peers to join in their “high”. From this, we are able to see the types of drugs that are being used, the effects that the drugs have on our peers, and what is a probable solution to the drug abuse problem at UWO.
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is known for its illegal activities that students partake in to have fun or relax. Commonly called “Sloshgosh” and as mentioned earlier is highly scrutinized when it c...

... middle of paper ...

...s. Not only at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, but at all campuses across the nation. The only thing that can be done to help reduce the number of drug users, is to educate the students on the effects of drugs and how life can be fun without them.

Works Cited

"Adderall Side Effects." CCHR International. N.p. Web. 01 May 2014.
Califano, Joseph A., Jr. "Wasting the Best and the Brightest: Alcohol and Drug Abuse on College Campuses." CASAColumbia. N.p. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
"DRUGS ON CAMPUS." College Drinking & Drugs on Campus. N.p. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Jacobs, Peter. "The Colleges with the Most On-Campus Drug and Alcohol Arrests." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 31 Jan. 2014. Web. 01 May 2014.
"UW Oshkosh Response to Rehabs.com Report." UW Oshkosh Today. N.p. Web. 01 May 2014.
"UW Oshkosh Today » Advance-Titan." UW Oshkosh Today. N.p. Web. 01 May 2014.

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