It is inevitable that university students are taking drugs, whether it be alcohol or other drugs such as cannabis, MDMA or Ketamine. Interestingly, in this video, only one out of the fourteen people we asked if they themselves or anyone they know has taken drugs said no.
In the NUS survey, a study for student drug taking found that thirty-nine per cent of students responding to the survey currently use drugs, with a further 17 per cent having done so in the past. Just over half (56 per cent) of respondents have therefore used drugs.
The use of recreational drugs such as nicotine and alcohol are normalised in society because they are legal in this country. However, recreational drugs such as Cannabis, Ecstasy, Ketamine and Cocaine are not legal in the UK.
Students also come into contact with alcohol and this is also seen as a recreational drug. However, the students that we spoke to didn’t associate recreational drug use with alcohol or nicotine. Professor David Nutt has expanded on this point and highlighted that the alcohol industry is dishonest.
In his talk he said that “many people believe that it [alcohol] is not a drug” – if it was a drug, it would be illegal right? Creating a myth that alcohol is not a drug. The media has a big role to play in the representation of recreational drugs. For example, Leah Betts, an 18 year old girl died at a house party in Essex. The media reported that she died of taking an ecstasy tablet, when in fact she died from consuming too much water, which is one of the effects of taking the drug.
Dr Nutt went on to highlight that the media very rarely show deaths with alcohol such as Gavin Britton, an Exeter University student who died from alcohol poisoning.
Interestingly, none of the students that we asked made the link between recreational drugs and alcohol – does that show a flaw in the UK’s drug policy system?
Talk to Frank gives a full list of the different types of recreational drugs and their ‘nick names’ if you want to check it out.
