Annual Security Report shows increase in drug violations

Drug law violations increased from 2014 to 2015, but Dean of Students Jerry Price said he isn’t concerned. Graphic by Rebeccah Glaser

Drug violations among students increased from 2014 to 2015, according to the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report released Sept. 30.

Violations resulting in arrest have increased from one in 2014 to nine in 2015, and violations that resulted in a judicial referral have increased from 115 to 127 – causing Dean of Students Jerry Price some concern about campus drug use.

“I’m very concerned about student drug habits,” Price said. “Young people in general, they seem to be more cavalier about marijuana. I don’t think it’s as innocuous as some people believe.”

If Proposition 64, the California Marijuana Legalization Initiative, passes in the upcoming election, recreational marijuana use will be legalized under state law. However, Director of Student Conduct Colleen Wood said that the conduct code applies to students on and off campus.

“Theoretically, someone could be found responsible for violating our illegal substances policy for smoking marijuana off campus,” Wood said.
Senior philosophy major Ashleigh Dennis disagrees with the policy that says students cannot use marijuana even if they have a medical marijuana card.

“If you’re a patient, you should be able to take your medication,” Dennis said.

Sophomore film production major Safi Nazzal believes that smoking marijuana should be a personal decision.

“We have to realize that some people that have a card have them for medical reasons … People who are smoking weed are not getting the general public stoned with them. They’re doing it on their own and by themselves,” Nazzal said.

In the Annual Security Report, drug law violations are categorized by individual incidents that resulted in either an arrest or judicial referral.

Chief of Public Safety Randy Burba said that if the proposition passes in the election, it might cause an increase in drug violations because students do not realize that although something is legal off campus, it is still against university policy on campus.

“It will still be against the policy, it will still be a federal Clery violation, but I do think it might cause an increase because people’s natural reaction is ‘It’s legal so I can have it’ but they don’t always look at the specific university rules or federal rules,” Burba said. “I think we’ll have incidents at the beginning of the semester where incoming people will think they can have it but will get educated if they get caught that no, you actually can’t have it.”

Marijuana is not the only drug concerning to university administrators in terms of campus drug law violations. Wood and Price are both concerned about the abuse and trading of prescription drugs like Adderall, Ritalin and Xanax, as well as the use of more serious drugs like cocaine and ecstasy. Although Price does not think that Chapman students are any less vulnerable to drug use than anyone else, he does think there is a correlation between illegal drug use and poor academic performance. 

“There is a correlation between illegal drug use and poor academic performance and because we’re a selective place and the students who come here are very ambitious and care about their academics and grades, we’re probably less vulnerable than some other schools but we still have that vulnerability,” Price said.