The hospitalization of a dozen people, 10 of them Wesleyan University students, after taking the party drug MDMA — and the subsequent arrest of four Wesleyan students on drug-distribution charges — has brought renewed attention to drug use at elite universities.
I don't pretend to have any insider knowledge of drug culture at Wesleyan (where, incidentally, I once gave an invited lecture on Roman historiography), but substance abuse is not uncommon at universities, and high-achieving students are often caught up in the problem.
These high-achievers are well aware of the dangers of drug use, smoking and binge drinking, but they partake in these activities anyway. Nor is substance abuse generally due to peer pressure and a need to conform; these high-achievers often have quite a robust sense of individuality and self-worth. And their relations with parents and family are often strong. The pat responses to the causes of substance abuse don't seem to apply.
We need to remember that 20-year-olds really have very limited life experiences and generally lack the maturity to make balanced decisions. Hopefully we can guide them through their college years without their making decisions that will have permanent negative consequences.