News
223.2011 1 The Blue Uaimcr I
On the Quad
With homecoming this weekend,
what do you think about school spirit?
“I would say it’s im
portant because to
fully be a student
and be active in your
campus, I guess you
have to have some
form of school spir
it.”
Maggie Craig
French student
“Personally, I’m not
one of those people
that feel the need to go
to a bunch of games.
I don’t think it’s nec
essary. I think a lot of
people have different
views of what school
spirit is.”
Isabelle Noel
Undecided
“I think school spirit
is largely just accept
ing your school and
wanting to be here
and enjoying it, and
then obviously at
tending events and
supporting groups
that you support.”
Hilary Arthur
Math student
New dmgs cause deaths to skyrocket
Legal synthetic drugs impacting US users
Ashley Felts
anfelts@urca.edu - Staff Writer
The new synthetic drug
known as bath salts is making
a scene in the first two months
of 2011.
“1 have been in law enforce
ment for 36 years and 1 have
seen so many lives ruined by
illegal drug use,” William Ho
gan, chief of police for the
Asheville Police Department,
said. “1 have seen people die,
commit suicide, commit violent
crimes and property crimes to ;
support their addiction.”
According to a press release
by the American Association of
Poison Control Centers, the 469
reported calls for the drug in
2011 has already surpassed the
292 reported in 2010.
“We know that a number of
synthetic drugs are being mar
keted in Asheville and the sur
rounding area,” Hogan said.
“We deal with drugs and associ
ated crimes on a daily basis.”
Bath salts has been around
for several years, mainly in the
United Kingdom, but recently
become a problem in the U.S.
The synthetic drug is still le
gal, although many states are
working hard to ban it, accord
ing a U.S. Department of Justice
press release. The department
released a drug alert watch for
bath salts in December 2010.
“The state legislature is look
ing at creating laws to prohibit
certain drugs that are currently
unregulated at this time,” Hogan
said.
Bath salts, which goes by oth
er names such as pure ivory and
purple wave, has similar effects
to cocaine, methamphetamine
and ecstasy, according to the
U.S. Department of Justice.
No students on UNC
Asheville’s campus have re
ported using bath salts, accord
ing to Jay Cutspec, director of
student health and counseling
at UNCA.
“I have talked to a fair amount
of students, but I have not really
talked to any student that has
mentioned it here on campus or
in Asheville,” Cutspec said.
Hogan said the increased me
dia coverage of the drug could
actually promote the use of the
product.
“Media coverage of these le-
"When you start altering anyone's
brain chemistry, much less a student's,
it's going to affect their executive
functions: their memory,
their ability to process information,
their ability to analyze."
Jay Cutspec
Director of student health and counseling
Jay Cutspec
gal drugs often becomes the
impetus for people trying these
drugs,” Hogan said. “The media
increase the public’s awareness
of these drugs which inadver
tently has some folks seeking
out the new legal drugs.”
There are many different rea
sons why students could become
involved
with drugs,
according to
Cutspec.
“Some
students do
it for social
reasons.
They want
to hang out
with a spe
cific social
group,” he
said. “I think some students do it
because it feels good and we all
like pleasure as human beings.
Other students do it to maybe
mask painful feelings that they
have, so it feels pretty comfort
able.”
The effects of bath salts do not
last long and have led to suicide
by certain users who develop
extreme paranoia, hallucinations
and suicidal thoughts, according
to the American Association of
Poison Control Centers.
Hogan said all age groups
abuse harmful substances, but
teenagers can particularly suc
cumb to drug abuse.
“The unfortunate problem for
teens is they start using drugs
before their brains have fully de
veloped, and they lack the ma
turity to completely understand
the potential consequences their
illegal activity will have on their
health and future,” Hogan said.
Cutspec warned college stu
dents should not use illegal
drugs or drugs not prescribed to
them because it can affect cogni
tive skills.
“When you start altering any
one’s brain chemist^, much less
a student’s, it’s going to affect
their executive functions: their
memory, their ability to pro
cess information, their ability
to analyze,”
Cutspec
said. “Given
the skills
a student
needs to be
successful,
it’s one of
the worst
things they
can do for
their cogni-
Rebekah Braswell
tive functions.”
Rebekah Braswell, a sopho
more at UNCA, said drugs af
fect students, but said they may
depend on the user.
“I do think drugs affect a stu
dent’s performance and overall
outlook on school, but I guess it
depends on the student and what
kind of drugs they’re taking.
Everyone handles things differ
ently,” Braswell said.
Braswell said she does not use
drugs, but knows it would not be
hard to get them.
“Almost everyone knows
someone who either does them
or sells them,” Braswell said.
Cutspec said he agreed drugs
are easily available.
“Certainly drugs are available
if you want them and if you go
and seek them,” Cutspec said.
“But, I think, obviously, mari
juana is our number one drug of
choice on campus.”
Hogan said drugs in the com
munity are an ongoing problem
See DRUGS on page 5