Former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Joseph A. Califano stated “It’s time to get the ‘high’ out of higher education.” According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, one third of college students have reported binge drinking, and one in five have used an illicit drug within the past month. The legal drinking age in the United States is twenty-one; as fifty percent of college students are under the legal age, many are breaking the law. Although it is against the law for many users, underage drinking, as well as use of other illegal substances are expected of these college students and many universities knowingly support this activity. The “college experience” is often laid out in how a person learns, loves and parties. The substantial number of students using drugs and alcohol goes largely unmonitored by …show more content…
This heavy use of drugs classifies about 23% of college students as dependent on or abusing drugs (“Research”). Although the students are adults, universities should be required to address alcohol and drug use on campus and assist students dealing with substance abuse in-order-to increase these scholar’s success in school and the workplace. The most common drug on college campuses is alcohol, as about eighty percent of students use it. According to Raynard Kington, deputy director of the Department of Health and Human Services, in his “Alcohol Alert No. 58”, alcohol use on many campuses has become a rite of passage. “Traditions and beliefs handed down through generations of college drinkers serve to reinforce students’ expectations that alcohol is a necessary component of social success.” The issue with alcohol being associated with social success, is that