So I've been in college for a year and a half now, and I've seen some crazy shit. Seen, heard, smelled, witnessed, overheard, so many insane things.
I have recognized that drugs are such a norm for adolescents. In high school, as the years went on, I was surrounded by it more and more. When college came, my oh my.
College has a stigma around drugs that I didn't believe was true but it defiantly lives up to its reputation.
Marijuana is common now, illegal or legal. It's normalized basically anywhere, and especially in college. No matter where you live, you can smell the waft of it go by. It's not stereotypically stoners either. Any kid could be smoking pot. In high school, pot was a huge thing. You knew who was doing it and how often. So when I saw more of this particular paraphernalia in college, it didn't faze me.
Adderall is something I hear about frequently in college and I'm sure if you're a college student and reading this, you know what I mean. The stereotype for Adderall lives on. Either kids actually have an Adderall prescription and need it or kids have the prescription and sell it. I know kids who pop them on the daily just to keep their daily task done. It's mind-blowing.
Public Instagram
Oh and exam weeks, forget about it. Kids can't get enough to get through that week.
I think it's absolutely insane how many kids now are taking Xanax. Xanax was never something I expected to be an epidemic for adolescents. If you're 16 and older you know it's become a problem. Xan's are taken by the handful by kids now for what reason? I would guess because it has become a trend. It "mellows" you.
Especially male rappers in the online streaming platform take it and promote it. This mix of emo rap I believed put Xan on the map for being "a thing to do." The artist that promote this "Xan culture" are Lil Xan, Lil Pump, Lil Peep, Smokepurpp, JuiceWRLD and more. In the recent single, "Sicko Mode" by Travis Scott featuring Drake (which was a chart-topper). This song includes a line by Drake saying "I just popped a Xan, 13 hours till I land. Had me out like a light." Kids idolize these people. Whether these artists actually do it or not, they promote it by making it their name, rapping about it, or flexing with it.
Public Ad on Facebook for Xanax
Lil Peep was a rapper that overdosed. Xanax was something big he spoke about, it's suspected that was involved in his death. This death marked the point where Xanax was recognized as a danger for adolescents. The media started to realize that kids were actually doing this.
Lil Peep on Facebook
I personally don't see any kids take Xanax but you hear around about it. I hear about it quite a lot and it's concerning. The Xanax crisis is a whole other article I could write about alone.
Promoting of Xanax Culture from rap artist Lil Xan Source: Lil Xan Facebook
Promoting Xan Culture@lilpump on Instagram
Something that surprised me the most about drugs being normalized in a college setting is the prevalence of cocaine. Cocaine is a drug you just do not think of when you think of a drug in college. Kids do coke quite a bit and I see ads on social media from kids wanting it or selling it, and it's so odd. I NEVER heard of kids doing this until school and it just absolutely blows my mind.
Cocaine is "a thing" for basically any type of kid. Theatre, film, English, business, biology, medical. You name it, a kid is using it. It's just like, when you picture cocaine, what seems more reasonable? College student or 80's yuppie in a white Miami vice suit?
All in all, drug culture is so normalized in college culture and it just blows my mind. Whether it's promoted by social media celebs or musicians, it's a huge thing that is done by kids. If you need it to cram for a test, give you a boost for class, or relax you after all of your homework, kids of all kinds are taking parts.
