After the recent arrest of an N.C . State sophomore for possession of an illicit substance, campus police and student conduct are trying to get the message across to students that drug education and counseling is available.
The student in question, who asked to remain anonymous until after his court date, was arrested for possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms and drug paraphernalia on Dec. 27 and held in Wake County jail on $5,000 bail.
With only 13 days since the student’s arrest, he faces a pending court date to determine his state-mandated punishment, as well as any consequences waiting here on campus.
Turi Watson, associate director in the office of student conduct, was unable to comment on the student’s specific record, but directed all curious students to the office’s website where the N.C . State drug policy is made available.
According to the website, “for a first offense involving the illegal possession of any controlled substance identified in Schedule I, N.C . General Statutes 90-89, or Schedule II, N.C . General Statutes 90-90, the minimum penalty shall be suspension from enrollment or from employment for a period of at least one semester or its equivalent.”
Based on the contents in a dish found in the student’s home, he is accused of manufacturing psilocybin mushrooms, a Schedule I substance.
Forest Herrell , addiction responder at Holly Hill Hospital, warns that many students don’t realize what drugs can really do to their bodies.
“Drugs nowadays are very different and cause a lot more brain damage. While marijuana alters your mental state, using hallucinogens is a faster route to serious bodily harm,” Herrell said.
Holly Hill Hospital dedicates their addiction services exclusively to the weeklong detox that drug users must go through on their way to becoming clean. Herrell added that users of illicit substances risk addiction in part, because of their personality.
“Addiction is addiction,” Herrell said. “It’s about more than just the substance, there has to be an addictive personality as well. They say it takes 21 days to change a habit, that’s why most rehabilitation centers are for 28 days.”
N.C . State Campus Police captain Ian Kendrick wants students to know that police aren’t the bad guys.
“Our main focus is to educate students and deter them from using illegal substances,” Kendrick said. “When that fails, we try to get them treatment and work with student conduct and the counseling center to help get the student to a healthy place.”
Kendrick, who was not involved in this arrest, says that many factors go into determining a student’s punishment when arrested by campus police.
“We have a few options most of the time; if it’s a misdemeanor, we can either give a citation, a student conduct referral, make an arrest, or do a combination of those. For a felony, we have the same options, only we can no longer issue citations,” Kendrick said.
To determine what offenses qualify as misdemeanors or felonies, Kendrick says that a number of factors must be considered.
“First we look at what schedule in the NC Controlled Substance Act the drug falls under. Schedule I is the highest bracket, where things like hallucinogenic mushrooms fall under,” Kendrick said. “Next, we see how much of the substance there is and also how it is packaged.”
According to Kendrick, the packaging of a substance can go a long way in indicating whether the user is a consumer or a dealer. North Carolina law mandates that possessing any amount or packaging of psilocybin mushrooms is automatically a felonious act.
For drug education and counseling services, see campus police or Student Health.