College Substance Use

More than 55 universities and colleges have joined a program designed to help schools prevent the two leading causes of death in young adults—accidents, including those caused by prescription drug overdoses or alcohol poisoning, and suicide.

At least eight U.S. college freshmen have died so far this semester, many of them in alcohol-related incidents, according to Times Higher Education. Colleges are encouraging freshmen and their parents to talk about alcohol and drugs even before they arrive on campus.

Daily marijuana use is at the highest rate among college students since 1981, according to the national Monitoring The Future study. Last year, 5.1 percent of college students used marijuana daily or almost daily (20 or more times in the prior 30 days), up from 3.5 percent in 2007.

Colleges are looking for new ways to reduce binge drinking, as part of initiatives to reduce campus sexual assaults, NPR reports.

Colleges in states where medical marijuana is legal are telling students the drug is not allowed on campus, even if they have a doctor’s recommendation.

A new study finds U.S. college students involved in alcohol-related offenses and incidents often receive light penalties.

Southern Methodist University in Dallas is among the schools that will start to sell beer and wine at football games this fall, in an effort to increase revenue, according to USA Today.

Colleges are increasing the number of disciplinary actions against students for alcohol and drug offenses, according to The New York Times. The change reflects an increase in enforcement, not a rise in the number of offenses, experts say.

Only 41 percent of college students say misusing prescription stimulants for academic purposes should be considered cheating, according to a survey at an unnamed Ivy League institution.

While most colleges focus their substance use prevention and treatment programs on alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs, heroin use is a serious but little-discussed problem, Inside Higher Ed reports.

“Study drugs” such as Vyvanse and Adderall are gaining popularity among Florida college students, even though area colleges have a zero-tolerance policy against students using medicines not prescribed for them.

New studies suggest alcohol use is more likely than marijuana use to lead to violence between college students in a relationship.

A program that provides college freshmen with personalized feedback on their drinking patterns can be effective in reducing their drinking, a new study suggests.

The University of Miami is one of a growing number of colleges that have instituted “Good Samaritan” policies to encourage students to call 911 when they are with someone who may be in danger from consuming drugs or alcohol.

A study of college students finds false ID use may contribute to the risk of alcohol use disorder by making it easier for students to drink more frequently. The study found false IDs were used by almost two-thirds of students who had tried alcohol at least once before starting college.

A group that represents 75 national fraternities has been successful in opposing college rules that are designed to reduce alcohol-related deaths by postponing freshman recruiting, according to Bloomberg.

Several colleges in Vermont are engaging parents in their effort to reduce binge drinking, according to the Associated Press. Students tend to drink less when their parents are aware of what they are doing, says Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Harry Chen.

College freshmen’s drinking habits are often formed during the first six weeks of school, according to an expert from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Dartmouth College is starting the school year with a new president, as the Ivy League school faces troublesome questions about binge drinking and other issues, The New York Times reports.

A number of colleges in Pennsylvania are taking steps to reduce alcohol use among students, according to the Associated Press.

The number of college campuses with 100 percent smoke-free policies has doubled since 2011, to 1,182, USA Today reports.

For four years of high school, most adults were against teen drinking. They would ground us, punish us, deactivate our cell phones and take away our car keys if they suspected kids were drinking. But after graduation, the adults I know now tell me that drinking is important for the “college experience,” observes one incoming college freshman.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association will implement a new policy on August 1 that lowers the threshold for what determines a positive marijuana test, The Baltimore Sun reports.

College students who hear warnings about binge drinking from family or friends are more likely to be concerned about their own alcohol use, compared with their classmates who don’t hear such advice, a new study suggests.

Female college students are more likely than their male peers to drink more alcohol than is recommended by government guidelines, Harvard University researchers have found.