VIDEO: Lessons In Psychoactive Drug Abuse Prevention

MAYHEW, Miss. (WCBI) – October is National Substance Abuse Prevention Month and the general psychology students of EMCC aren’t wasting any time in learning the dangers.

Mississippi State University Health and Wellness Educators spent the last 2 days providing students with valuable information.

“They tell you that you will be exposed to different things when you come to college, different aspects of life,” said EMCC Freshmen Devasquez Ford.

A part of that aspect can be the introduction to drug use.

“So, college presents an opportunity to students to be on their own, for the first time. They may be living in an apartment or residence halls on campuses and so you get the opportunity to be exposed to things that you may not have been exposed to before. There’s really not anybody holding you accountable for you’re behavior. It’s up to students, to be informed and be aware about what they could possible come in contact with and how if could effect their body,” said MSU Health And Wellness specialist Ashley Fondren.

East Mississippi Community College General Psychology students recovered a crash course on the many different drugs they could face on a college campus.

“We begin by talking about alcohol because that’s the most widely abused drug on college campuses. We talk about how alcohol can effect; you, your behavior, your perception, your risk taking, and that can lead to a lot of dangerous problems,” said Fondren.

Lowndes County Narcotics Officer Archie Williams says he hopes the student take heed to the information or it can land them in big trouble down the road.

“Anything that has that type of result on somebody it’s going to be a felony charge. It’s a pretty serious drug. The court system is where it falls. We make the arrest and the case. When it comes to the sentencing and the guidelines and whatever happens to their future at that point it’s in the court’s hands,” said Williams.

Freshmen Lauren Moran says the presentation confirmed all of her thoughts about experimenting with foreign substances

“It will have a really negative impact on school. If you’re out partying all the time getting drunk and staying stoned then you’re not going to have the ability or the want to, to get up and go to class. It’ll just make it really hard to keep focus on the priority of your life. If you’re just going out and being a college student I guess the college life,” said Moran.

For more information on psychoactive drugs and their impacts, www.health.msstate.edu