New US website targets gateway drug abuse in colleges

The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has created a new site (campusdrugprevention.gov) to diminish illegal drug use on college campuses and prevent addiction later in life.

“This is the latest effort to target drug abuse on college campuses,” said DEA spokesperson, Katherine Pfaff. “Prevention is a huge part of the issue, and so we want to implement better programs and better resources to help prevent drug use at colleges and in surrounding communities.”

Statistics from the DEA show that individuals who don’t start using drugs before the age of 25 are unlikely to become addicted later in life.

In addition to deterring younger drug users, the DEA is optimistic that the site will reduce drug addiction by attacking the root of the problem early.

The most frequently abused substances on US college campuses include marijuana, alcohol, and Adderall, but students also use other drugs.

The website contains a myriad of information, including reference material on over 30 drug types. The information includes the appearance of drugs, their effects, and associated paraphernalia, as well as scientific explanations of effects on users.

More information on the site provides details of drug use on college campuses, including trends on using specific drugs, and articles on substance abuse and drug-assisted sexual assault.

Pfaff said the main purpose of the website is to provide information to campus professionals, such as health centre personnel and educators, but she hoped students and their parents would also find it useful.