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2013 SESSION

13100307D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 645
Offered January 9, 2013
Prefiled January 8, 2013
Encouraging institutions of higher education in Virginia to heighten student awareness of the perils of alcohol and substance abuse on college campuses.
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Patrons-- McQuinn, Carr, Filler-Corn, Hope, James, Krupicka, Plum, Scott, J.M. and Tyler
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Referred to Committee on Education
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WHEREAS, college, particularly for freshmen, means freedom from parental control and presents new temptations, and alcohol, drugs, and other dangerous habit-forming substances viewed as accepted parts of college life continue to be pervasive health problems on college campuses; and

WHEREAS, according to Southern Illinois University's Core Institute, the nation's largest and most comprehensive survey database tracking college students' drinking and drug use in the country, "nearly 73 percent of the students drink at least occasionally," and according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2010, "one in four young adults ages 18-34 binge drink," "binge drinking" means to drink four or more alcoholic beverages in the span of a few hours; and

WHEREAS, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism indicates that alcohol consumption is linked to death, injury, assault, sexual abuse, unsafe sex, academic and health problems, suicide attempts, drunk driving, vandalism, property damage, police involvement, and alcohol abuse and dependence; and

WHEREAS, accessibility to drugs makes it much easier to experiment with a variety of illegal and controlled substances, including prescribed drugs, sedatives, and stimulants widely used among college students to avoid sleep, increase energy, heighten sexual stimulation, and lose weight; and

WHEREAS, Adderall, a common prescription medication for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy reportedly used by 90 percent of college students as a study aid to avoid sleep, is highly addictive, can hinder cognitive skills, and lead to other health problems; and

WHEREAS, alcohol abuse and the misuse of prescribed and controlled substances are life-threatening habits among too many college students, and college officials must act collaboratively, concertedly, and decisively to educate students and parents to these dangers through student orientations, workshops and seminars, college publications and websites, and various educational opportunities; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the institutions of higher education in Virginia be encouraged to heighten awareness of the perils of alcohol and substance abuse on college campuses; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to the Chairman and Executive Director of the State Council of Higher Education and to the Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System requesting that they further disseminate copies of this resolution to their respective constituents so that they may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter.