Although this nation’s drug problem receives a lot of attention, proven drug use cases at NIU are not prevalent.

In the 1988-89 academic year, the NIU Judicial Office handled 19 drug-related offenses, said Office Director Larry Bolles. This number is small when compared with 463 alcohol-related offenses, he said.

“The number one drug being brought into campus is marijuana,” Bolles said. The next most common drug used on campus is cocaine, he said.

Bolles said he does not believe NIU has a major drug problem. “There is a very small group involved in the drug culture. The problem is that we don’t catch everybody. We catch very few people—those who are just careless,” he said.

Stephanie, an NIU sophomore pre-business major, said she first tried marijuana the end of her junior year in high school. She said she started smoking marijuana because she was “curious” and her friends were doing it.

When she was a senior in high school, Stephanie said she smoked marijuana daily for a few months but eventually quit because she lost the desire to get high. Stephanie said she now smokes marijuana a few times a month.

According to the Judicial Office, students caught selling drugs in the residence halls are expelled. If someone is caught using drugs as a first offense, they are placed on university probation. If caught a second time, they are suspended. The length of the suspension varies depending on the amount of drugs confiscated and the student’s judicial record.

Those found to be using drugs may be referred to a drug and alcohol class, but parents are not notified of the offense, Bolles said.

University Police handled four drug-related violations in the 1988-89 academic year. Capt. James Webster said this low number is due to the recent establishment of the DeKalb County North Central Narcotics Task Force coordinated by the state police.

“For the last year, police officers in our department had less drug activity than they’ve ever had before because we’re specialized now and we don’t handle drug enforcement on the patrol level,” he said.

If UPs come across a drug-related case, they usually turn it over to the task force for investigation, Webster said.

“We have a certain amount of drug activity on campus and we’re aware of it. There’s probably more going on than we know about, but with the task force now, we feel a lot more comfortable. At least law enforcement is making a more sophisticated response to the problem than we ever could in the past,” Webster said.

Kathy Hotelling, director of NIU’s Counseling and Student Development Center, said she believes people turn to drugs to “escape” from dealing with life.

The center tries to help occasional drug users, but if the person is addicted to a substance, the center will refer them to an appropriate source of treatment, Hotelling said.