Abuse of medicine on the rise
Though the security office only handles two or three reported drug cases a year, on average, Director of Security Steve Leonard said he is not naïve about possible drug use. "It’s reasonable for me to admit there is drug use on campus," said Leonard, but he said the numbers do not pose a major problem either. According to the Center for Health Policy based in Indianapolis, Hoosiers 18 to 25 have the highest use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, prescription abuse and polysubstance abuse – mixing two or more drugs together. Freshman Amanda Wainwright defines a drug as "something that alters your state of mind," but she also does not consider alcohol to be a drug. Alcohol is a misleading drug, as most people do not consider it to be one because it is not illegal for those over 21. However, campus counselor Rebecca Rominger said, "Alcohol is definitely Franklin’s drug of choice." While marijuana still remains the illegal drug of choice locally and nationally, a new trend of prescription and over-the-counter medication abuse is on the rise. "You do hear more about prescription use," said Rominger. She is not alone in recognizing the movement from "typical" college drugs to these more discreet ones. The top three misused medications are pain relievers, central nervous system depressants and stimulants. According to the Center for Health Policy, Oxycodone distribution went from 29 million dosage units in 2002 to 54 million in 2007, another sign of prescription drug abuse. Tadd Whallon, the clinical supervisor at Tara Treatment Center in Franklin, has also seen an increase. "Easy accessibility is one reason for the rise in this type of abuse," he said. "Over-the-counter medications also typically are not tested for on drug screens, so some people use them if they are being screened." Similarly, Leonard said that it is harder to detect prescription and over-the-counter drugs in residence halls security is tipped off because, unlike marijuana’s poignant odor, there are no red flags. However, if someone is caught, there is a strict procedure one must go through. Campus security reports the activity and sends it through Franklin’s judicial process. If the situation is dangerous to the student or others, the security office notifies police. If a student feels as though they have an addiction, Rominger urges the individual to seek help. "Anytime anyone feels like they [are] addicted to some type of substance, contact me or John [Shafer]," she said. Leonard said during his 13 years on campus, he hasn’t seen any increases or decreases in terms of drug use on campus.
