University of MiamiDrug Safety Summary

Written by Sana Khan

Sana Khan

Hometown

Lauderhill, FL

Major

Biochemistry/Mathematics

View all previous student authors

College mirrors reality in that if you want drugs, you can always find them. Miami, like any big city, has its fair share of bad neighborhoods and drug addicts. But it’s easy to stay away from them, especially around the campus in upscale Coral Gables. The only drug being really abused on UM’s campus is alcohol, and that’s true of almost all colleges. There are groups of students that are into marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, or various other drugs, but dealing is not really a problem on campus, and most RAs are pretty strict about looking out for drug use in the dorms. Given UM’s fairly difficult classes, most hardcore drug users aren’t going to be around for long.

Most students don’t seem worried about drugs on campus. While UM isn’t going to make any top-10 lists of schools with drug problems, there is certainly a dependency on alcohol at social events and in the lives of most students. Alcohol is most popular with incoming freshmen, who seem to feel the need to abuse it once they get away from their parents. It stays a force throughout college life, especially once you and your friends start turning 21. Most of the time, your exposure to drugs at school depends on who you makes friends with. It’s not hard to get sucked into a circle of potheads if you let it happen, but if you want to say no, you won’t have a problem. Turning down alcohol at UM can be more difficult, as it plays an extremely important part in most students’ social lives.