DeKALB | The White House took another step in the war on drugs by bringing the fight to YouTube.com.

Ironically, on the same Web site that produces detailed videos on how to grow marijuana, government-distributed anti-drug videos can be found .

Celebrities such as Rachel Leigh Cook are spokespeople for the new commercials, dramatically portraying what happens to the human brain on drugs.

“Nobody drinks or does drugs to have problems,” said NIU health educator Steve Lux.

Lux said the anti-drug commercials could be what the war on drugs needs.

“Prevention and education get the short end of the stick,” Lux said. “If you don’t invest on prevention and education, there will never be an end.”

“Students can do drugs for social reasons,” said Elizabeth Garcia, counselor at counseling and student development. “They’re bored; It helps them relax and take their mind off of the problems.”

First-year anthropology graduate student Melissa Sierra agreed with Garcia’s views.

“Drugs can alleviate the banality of everyday life,” Sierra said.

The new advertisements against drugs, along with other educational efforts, seem to be making headway.

According to Monitoring the Future, a University of Michigan study tracking drug use over the past 32 years, drug use has fluctuated among college students since the 1990s. The study says that in the past year, ecstasy was used by 2.9 percent of college students, hallucinogens by 5 percent, and cocaine by 5.7 percent.

Lux’s research has shown a recent decline in illicit use.

“A misconception is that a lot of people are getting loaded a lot of the time,” Lux said.

While drugs and alcohol are detrimental, Lux said they are not the worst obstacle students face.

“When asked what are the greatest health obstacles to your success, consistently the number one and number two issues are stress and sleep,” Lux said.

Jane Cummins is a City Reporter for the

Northern Star.