Living the College Life: Other Drugs - What Consequences Can I Expect if I Take Drugs?

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Unless you obtained your alcohol with a forged government document, the penalties for being caught drinking while underage, while unpleasant, are relatively mild. It's not something to aspire to, of course, but the worst you're usually looking at is a summons.

It's different with drugs, despite whether a student is caught by city police or campus representatives.

Illinois State University, for example, has an alcohol policy consistent with that found at many schools: first-time offenders receive a warning, while second-time offenders must attend a four-hour educational program as well as an initial substance-abuse screening. Only on the third and subsequent violations are students subject to university probation, suspension, or expulsion. But when it comes to drugs, even sometimes-lightly regarded marijuana, the penalties are harsher: a year's probation, a fine, mandatory attendance at an education program, and notification of parents in most cases for students under 21"just for the first infraction. They must also prepare a reflection paper. Second-time violators may be suspended or expelled. Those caught distributing drugs face a one-semester suspension, and those caught selling drugs face a one-year suspension or outright dismissal.

Rick Olshak, the Illinois State associate dean of students, says the strict policies are in place to safeguard the No. 1 reason why students come to college in the first place: to get an education.

When a bright young student who shows up at Illinois State ends up dropping out, his grade report littered with C's, D's, and F's, Olshak all too often sees drugs, including alcohol, as the leading factor. "Is it because this person suddenly became stupid?" he asks students when giving presentations on drug and alcohol abuse to Illinois State students. The answer, of course, is no. "They put themselves in a position where they were constantly affecting their ability to learn."

The new regulations have only been in place for a few years at Illinois State, but anecdotal evidence suggests they're making an impact. "It's registering with students that we're serious," Olshak says.

State laws vary widely when it comes to drugs, in part due to different thresholds that distinguish between citations and misdemeanors, and between misdemeanors and felonies. The possession of 24 grams of pot in one state might merit a civil citation and a $100 fine. Possession of the exact same amount in another state, where the threshold is 20 grams, can result in a felony charge, a five-year prison sentence, and a $5,000 fine. First-time violators at the lowest level who do not commit an aggravating crime (like assault) at the time of their arrest are more likely to receive minimum sanctions, although judges have the leeway to exercise their own discretion. Regardless, would you ever want to be in a predicament where a five-year prison sentence for drug possession is even a remote possibility?

Paul Campbell has some friends who ended up in such a position. They were traveling through Texas while on the way to visit one of the student's homes. They were pulled over for running a stoplight and subsequently arrested for possession of illegal drugs, Paul explains. "In Texas the drug laws are extremely tough, and now they are serving three years' probation. It very nearly ruined their lives. Now they have this on their record and won't be able to get it off."

Here are a few more examples of how drug use can destroy one's college career:

• Many scholarships have character stipulations, meaning the scholarship funding can be rescinded if the recipient receives any sanctions for drug use.
• Athletic teams may suspend or dismiss students who either test positive for drugs or who are caught using them. Scholarship athletes may lose their scholarships, as well.
• It shouldn't need to be stated, but we'll point it out anyway: Driving while under the influence of drugs could result in far worse than an arrest or an inadvertent fender-bender. A charge of criminally negligent homicide will mean that getting kicked out of school would be the smallest problem that needs to be dealt with. Unfortunately, many young people who are aware of the dangers of drunk driving wrongly think they can smoke marijuana and still get behind the wheel. That misconception can be fatal. "Marijuana does not 'heighten' your senses, rather it alters them," says Dr. Sharon Levy.