2020 data from the American College Health Association concludes that 93% of college students in the United States have never misused prescription drugs while at college.
Prescriptions drugs, such as Adderall and Xanax, are misused by college students primarily during times of stress, such as finals week, according to Allie Tomlinson, the Program Manager for the Georgia Prevention Project.
However, it is hard to find the exact number of students who have been prescribed medication such as Adderall and Xanax, because while Student Health at UNG does prescribe medication to students, they only keep a record of how many students visit Student Health, not how many students are prescribed medication during their visit, according to the Director of Student Health Services, Karen Tomlinson.
According to the 2021 Annual Fire and Safety Report, the UNG Dahlonega and Gainesville Campuses had a total of two drug violations in the year 2020. The Cumming and Blue Ridge Campuses were reported to have zero drug violations in the year 2020.
Meri-Leigh Smith, Associate Director of the Wellness and Health Promotion, said that “UNG requires all new, transfer, and dually enrolled students to complete an online AlcoholEdu program about alcohol and drug abuse awareness,” which likely accounts for the low number of drug violations on UNG’s campuses.
Suzanne Smith, who specializes in Addiction Counseling at UNG, recently hosted the second annual “Drug Take Back Event” to bring awareness to the misuse of prescription drugs on campus.
The low number of drug violations on UNG’s multiple campuses is an encouraging testimony to the effectiveness of requiring all students to take drug and alcohol awareness programs as well as bringing awareness to the misuse of prescription drugs through various campus activities.
