By Kierra Chandler

Odors suspected to be from marijuana smoke were detected on January 29th, 2018, on campus in a Freshman Dormitory. At approximately 9:17 pm, a call was made to public safety about the strong smell in the hallway in Evers Hall dormitory.

Many students questioned where the smokers got the substance and wondered if illegal drugs were  being sold on campus?

Delaware State University’s crime log has mentioned quite a few illegal drug violations in the past year. 14 drug violations involving marijuana have been recorded already in the month of January, 2018.

Delaware State police car
https://www.bing.com/

Delaware State University has to get a handle on the prevalent drug issue. If the reports stay consistent of 14 reports monthly, DSU will have 168 reports of drug abuse in the year 2018.

There were only 2 alcohol violations between December 2017 and January 2018; however, according to the DSU Crime Log, there were a total of 18 drug abuse violations.

Should vehicles be searched before entering the campus? Maybe students should get harsher punishment for marijuana use on campus to decrease the issue. These are questions the chief of police has to answer.

“Anytime illegal drugs are used it is a big issue,” said Police Chief, Downes.  Sounding a note of warning, The Chief  further said that “with the increase of marijuana and opioid use throughout the country, it is imperative that our students recognize the dangers of these drugs, which could affect their future success as students, leaders, and may have a fatal outcome.”

Major Harry Downes, Jr, Chief of Public Safety (source: http://behindthebluewall.blogspot.com/2008/11/de-state-police-major-downes-cleared-of.html)

“While there is not a significant increase on campus, there are too many incidents of our students using these dangerous and illegal drugs,” concluded Mr. Downes.  However, according to the DSU Crime Log, yesterday, February 1, at approximately 1:30am, several students were caught smoking marijuana in the Warren Franklin Dormitory.

A student, who wished to remain anonymous,  expressed his frustrations about the issue when he claimed, “I have been to class numerous times where I’ve smelled classmates that smell like weed. It’s very distracting. Students who come to class impaired are to be asked to remove themselves from the classroom.”

Another question DSU deserves to know is, are professors taught how to detect signs of students who arrive to class impaired? According to, http://www.addictioncenter.com, bloodshot eyes, lack of motivation and slow reaction time, are some common symptoms of people who have consumed marijuana.
It’s evident drug abuse violations are an issue on campus. We’ll stay tuned on what the university and Mr. Downes will do next.