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The Office of Student Life is part of the Division of Campus Life and Student Services

Brown University Policy on Drugs (including alcohol)

I. All Drugs

Brown University requires that all members of the University comply with state and federal laws as well as University regulations related to drug use. Brown University also seeks to assure the health and well-being of all students, faculty, and staff. Brown’s policy therefore reflects the University-wide commitment to: (1) programs of drug education and counseling and (2) only lawful and prudent use of any drug, including alcohol. Those who use illegal drugs and illicitly use legal drugs, including but not limited to alcohol, are in violation of the law and University regulations (see Standards of Student Conduct, Offense V.a.) and demonstrate disregard for the Principles of the Brown University Community.

Goals

• Inform and educate all students, users and nonusers alike, on drugs and their effects.
• Confidentially counsel drug users and those affected by the drug use of others. Eliminate the dealing or providing of illegal drugs.
• Prohibit and discourage illicit drug use.
• Uphold the law.

Community Support Services

The Principles of the Brown University Community describe general principles and expectations for student behavior within a community dedicated to formal academic pursuits and personal growth. In accordance with the Principles, Brown provides drug information, education and counseling to meet individual needs and to assist at crisis points.

The Health Education Office (863-2794), Psychological Services (863-3476), the Dean for Chemical Dependency (863-2536), and the Office of Student Life are available to all students for such assistance. Assistance for faculty and staff is available through the Dean for Chemical Dependency and the Faculty-Staff Assistance Program (contact Benefits, 863-2141).

Students, faculty and staff are urged to refer persons troubled by drug use to the offices listed above.

Provisions

1. Alcohol and other drugs are mood-altering chemicals that change the way one thinks, feels, and acts. Alcohol, for example, is not digested but passes intact through the walls of the stomach and small intestine directly into the blood stream. The liver metabolizes alcohol at the rate of about 3/4 ounce per hour. Any alcohol in excess of what the liver can process is absorbed into the blood stream and circulates to the entire body, affecting the brain and central nervous system. The alcohol circulating through the blood stream is a central nervous system depressant.

   Cocaine exerts two main effects on the body-anesthetic and stimulant. As an anesthetic, it deadens sensation whenever it is applied, inside or outside the body. The effects of cocaine on the central nervous system, as a stimulant, are thought to be mediated by the user’s emotional and psychological state. Specifically the body’s reaction to cocaine is seen by:

   • Increase in heart rate
   • Rise in blood pressure
   • Faster respiration
   • Rise in blood sugar levels
   • Dilation of pupils
   • Decrease in appetite
   • Increase in restlessness
   • Change in muscle control

   The effects of marijuana are varied. The user's reactions to marijuana are linked to its potency and THC concentration. The effects are also linked to the length of use. The "high" most people experience is described as an intoxication causing a heightened sense of awareness to music, light and the environment. THC is absorbed through the lungs into the blood stream where it clings to the fatty linings of the cells. THC residue remains attached to fat cells where there is a commutative effect. Some of the following are common effects of prolonged marijuana use:

   • Impairment of eye-hand coordination
   • Infertility
   • Increased heart rate
   • Distorted visual and time perceptions
   • Drug dependence

   The endocrine, respiratory, and immune systems seem to be affected by chronic use of marijuana. Sore throats and bronchitis are common. Marijuana smokers have more infections and are less protected against illness from bacteria or viruses.

   Mixing alcohol with other drugs can cause toxic reactions, including poisoning and death. For example: alcohol should never be used with other depressant drugs (e.g., barbiturates, tranquilizers, sleeping pills); mixing alcohol with stimulant drugs like cocaine, speed or caffeine is dangerous since these drugs can reverse the perceived depressive effects of alcohol and give the user a false sense of security; alcohol in combination with narcotics such as heroin, codeine, and Darvon interacts to reduce functioning of the central nervous system and can lead to loss of effective breathing or respiratory arrest; alcohol in combination with marijuana can produce greater loss of muscular control and mental concentration, and further impairments of driving ability; and alcohol can affect the liver’s ability to metabolize prescription drugs.

2. The educational and referral services of the Health Education Office and the Dean for Chemical Dependency are available for those who are troubled by the use of drugs - legal or illicit - their own or that of others. Seeking confidential help from or being referred to these services will not, by itself, result in disciplinary action; individual privacy will be respected in the process.

3. Those named in Police and Security reports as being involved in drug use, providing, or possession may be required to meet with the Health Education Office for education, factual advising, and/or referral as appropriate, and may be required to meet with the Associate Dean for Chemical Dependency. In addition, the behavior of these individuals will be reviewed, and action taken, in accordance with University disciplinary procedures. These provisions do not preclude similar treatment of those reported, other than in Police and Security reports, as being involved in drug use, providing, or possession.

4. Student living units (sanctioned or specially assigned residential groups such as language houses, social residence halls, fraternities, freshmen units, etc.) which shelter or encourage illicit drug use will be subject to discipline and possibly to dissolution through procedures outlined in the Non-Academic Disciplinary Procedures, the Residential Council Guidelines, or University emergency procedures. This will be in addition to any disciplinary action taken against individuals.

5. The association of drugs with problem behavior will be seen as an exacerbating factor, not a mitigating one, and will not constitute an acceptable excuse for such behavior.

6. Dealers and providers of illegal drugs are subject to immediate separation from the University.**

* Related documents, e.g., the Principles of the Brown University Community, the Standards of Student Conduct, the Non-Academic Disciplinary Procedures, and information on applicable state and federal laws are available in the Office of Student Life (20 Benevolent Street).

** "For matters in which individuals pose a danger to themselves or the immediate well-being of the University community, the President, the Dean of the College, the Dean of the Graduate School, the Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences, and the Dean for Campus Life have the authority to separate a student(s) from the University and to impose any additional conditions deemed necessary." (Non-Academic Disciplinary Procedures)

II. Alcohol

Under Rhode Island law alcohol may be legally served and sold only to individuals twenty-one years of age or older. The law forbids misrepresenting one's age for the purpose of purchasing and consuming alcoholic beverages.

Goals

With respect to alcohol, the University strives to prevent underage drinking and to promote individual accountability, moderation, and safety for those of legal age who choose to drink. Additionally, Brown works to provide a college atmosphere free of coercion for those of legal age who choose not to drink and to maintain a community where the effects of alcohol abuse are minimal and where problem behavior is reduced.

Provisions

1. Persons who provide alcohol bear a responsibility to see that no one is coerced, however subtly, to drink or to drink excessively. At all events where alcohol is served, non-alcoholic beverages must be provided by the sponsor of the event in adequate proportion to the alcoholic beverages available. Where alcohol is served, food must also be provided by the sponsor of the event.

2. Sponsors of all social events must abide by state law and by University procedures. Similarly, student residential units are responsible for adhering to rules related to alcohol service at social events and for maintaining a community standard consonant with the principles of this policy. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action against individuals, loss of social privileges, or dissolution of the organization.

3. Sponsors of registered social events are required to have all those who serve or provide alcohol certified through the Faunce House & Student Activities Office (FHSAO).

4. Kegs, large-scale containers of alcoholic beverages, and individually-sized bottled alcohol are not permitted in the residence halls. They are permitted in certain authorized spaces only in connection with a properly registered social event, in accordance with the guidelines of the FHSAO.

5. The possession of any opened container of alcoholic beverage is prohibited in the common areas of the University. (Ordinances of the City of Providence prohibit the possession of open containers of alcoholic beverages on city property.)

6. The sale of alcoholic beverages on campus is permitted only under a Class "F" Liquor License. Undergraduates who seek a Class "F" license must apply through the Director of Faunce House & Student Activities.

7. Social events which encourage drinking or drunkenness as themes, and the advertisement of such events, are prohibited.

8. Promotional activities by marketers of alcohol will be permitted only with approval from the Director of Faunce House & Student Activities. Such activities may occur only under the sponsorship of an on-campus organization.

III. Sanctions

Student Conduct: Non-Academic Disciplinary Procedures

Offense V. Drugs and/or Alcohol:

1. Illegal possession or use of drugs and/or alcohol and/or drug paraphernalia.
2. The illegal provision, sale, or possession with intent to sell/provide drugs and/or alcohol and/or drug paraphernalia.

Comment: The use of any drug, including alcohol, related to any offense will be considered an aggravating circumstance independently of whether the drug was used legally or illegally by the offending party. This factor in a case may result in a more severe sanction and/or the imposition of terms requiring evaluation or treatment, as determined by appropriate professionals. (See Brown Policy on Drugs.) All students who are party to a disciplinary matter involving alcohol and who, in the determination of a dean, misused alcohol or exercised poor judgment due to alcohol or about alcohol, will be required to undergo appropriate alcohol education, evaluation, and/or treatment as determined by appropriate officials.

Drug paraphernalia includes, but is not limited to, all items used for the purpose of preparing, injecting, ingesting, inhaling or otherwise using illegal drugs, or in the illicit use of legal drugs.

Providence municipal ordinances prohibit the possession of open containers of alcoholic beverages on public ways. Providence Police and, in the case of violations on the streets immediately adjacent to the campus, the Brown University Department of Public Safety, enforce these ordinances. Violations of the open container policy on University property are enforced by the Department of Public Safety and through the University non-academic disciplinary procedures.

Illegal manufacture, possession, delivery, and use of a controlled substance and alcohol is a violation of federal, state, and/or local laws. Penalties range according to type of substance, amount in possession and/or delivered, and the number and type of previous violations.

Use of other drugs such as caffeine and nicotine and improper use of appropriately prescribed substances may be detrimental, although not illegal under state law nor subject to University regulation. (Exception: "Brown University Policy on Smoking.") The offices named above are available for consultation on such use of "other drugs."