THE HEADLINE of The Cavalier Daily arrested me from my usual Grounds-walking haze. "University drug crackdown" - for a moment I wondered if those wacky kids at The Declaration had created a fake edition, but no, this was the real Cavalier Daily. Federal indictments! Over $46,000 worth of ecstasy, LSD, cocaine and marijuana! Not fraternity-centered!
The article specifically noted the non-Greek aspect of the bust because the last drug operation of comparable size was a 1991 raid on three fraternity houses. Moreover, when we hear about illegal consumption of substances by University students, fraternities tend to be involved. A first-year student is much more likely to begin a story with "I got so wasted at XYZ frat last night," than "I bought drugs on XYZ street last night."
At the same time, people appear to be much more likely to fall out of windows while drunk than while high. Without underestimating the severity of either, the University community needs to rethink its attitudes toward drugs and alcohol.
The University administration and police should be praised for their no- tolerance drug policies, especially regarding students who intend to sell highly addictive substances such as cocaine to others. Yet the absence of a similarly hard line on alcohol abuse makes the rhetoric sound less impressive. In effect, the administration tells students to "Just Say No," unless we are being offered alcohol, in which case we may say, "Well, okay."
Of course, there is often a world of difference in the situations. A University student might have to wander around some of the lower-income areas of Charlottesville, such as Fifeville, to find hard drugs. To get a beer, just walk into one of the new suites at Scott Stadium, where a successful professional or CEO will even give you a glass with your alcoholic beverage.
Anti-drug legislation protects citizens from their own impulses to engage in self-destructive behavior that is also harmful to the community. In the same way, laws against underage drinking are supposed to protect minors from themselves, and laws against public drunkenness protect the community at large. But University students do not seem to recognize these similarities.
The social norms of the University create a gulf between breaking drug laws and breaking alcohol laws. Someone addicted to heroin is a junkie, ruining his life, who has failed to recognize his opportunities as a University student. Someone who drinks regularly in large quantities, even while underage, is merely what we think of as the average University student.
Marijuana occupies a twilight zone. It does not carry the same stigma as crack, but is hardly on par with alcohol. Dave Matthews, for example, frequently mentions using pot, and has not yet been forced to wear a scarlet M. One cannot avoid seeing a bartender at most parties, but the sight of someone rolling joints is less frequent. With the lack of a club scene in Charlottesville, ecstasy does not seem to be as popular as it is in cities such as Washington and New York. In those areas, the drug is part of the experience, much as getting at least slightly intoxicated is part of going to a party at U.Va. After all, most people would find tossing ping pong balls into glasses a little dull unless alcohol was involved.
But consider the relative effects of milder - though still illegal - drugs like marijuana, and alcohol. The clich
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