Northern Arizona University’s student voice since 1914 Vol. 117 |Taboo Issue | December 8 - 16, 2023
NEWS
Fake ID culture on college campuses
F
HAVA HERZOG
ake IDs have been a staple of college campuses across the United States since the ‘80s. As real driver licenses evolved, so did the legitimacy of fakes. While it may look genuine to the untrained eye, a fraudulent ID is not guaranteed to fool bouncers, restaurant staff, scanners or law enforcement. A rise in fake IDs began with the passing of the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act. Former New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg alongside Mothers Against Drunk Driving proposed the act to reduce drunk driving by prohibiting people under 21 from purchasing or possessing alcohol. This law does not require states to adhere to the national minimum age, but if states do not comply, they lose 10% of federal highway funding. Before the act was passed in 1984, the drinking age varied from state to state, with Arizona’s minimum age set at 19. The 2005 REAL ID Act required physical security features for state IDs to discourage fakes and protect national security after 9/11. Holograms, microprinting, laser perforation, UV images, magnetic stripes and raised text are all features used to distinguish fakes from genuine state IDs. However, this security standardization pushed fake IDs to replicate those same security features. Eddie Karner, managing partner for Collins Irish Pub and Grill, has checked IDs for 20 years and said they have gotten more realistic. When he started, he said it was comical how bad fake IDs were. “The holographic technology, viewthrough technology, all those types of things have come a long way,” Karner said.
“So, the fake IDs have had to get more sophisticated.” Since the beginning of the fall semester, Collins has confiscated more than 300 fraudulent IDs — both fake and real of-age IDs used by someone underage — which Karner said is average for the bar. Collins seized 15 fakes during Tequila Sunrise alone, and Karner said most of the IDs Collins confiscates are from local students. Nightclubs, dispensaries, bars and restaurants use ID scanners to detect fakes, but the technology is not foolproof. “They are a good extra layer of security, but nothing, in my opinion, is ever going to take away from seeing and smelling and tasting the sort of situation and having it in your hand,” Karner said. Scanners read information from a barcode or magnetic stripe on an ID. Fakes replicate the process used with real IDs, which is how they can trick a scanner. Machines load scannable information into a magnetic stripe, and printers create highresolution barcodes that can go undetected by a scanner. Besides fakes, underage people also use real IDs from people with their likeness, which is another reason why scanners are not a reliable way to detect an underage patron. DMVs are not required to have up-todate cameras, and photos can be distorted. Weight, height or hair color are also liable to change after the ID is administered. Both real and fake ID photos could look shoddy, although some fakes may appear poorly cut out if the photo is doctored. As realistic as some fakes are, there are still many ways to tell if an ID is fraudulent. See FAKE ID on PAGE 5
Top: Confiscated fake IDs at Collins Irish Pub and Grill in downtown Flagstaff, Nov. 8. Photo Illustration by Taylor McCormick | The Lumberjack
FEATURES
Revelations through ketamine theraPy A
EMMA STANSBERY
drug often viewed as a dangerous dissociative is now administered by health care professionals in Flagstaff and across the nation. Clients are legally allowed to experience the hallucinogenic drug in a controlled environment, rather than risk staring into the K-hole, which feels like a near-death experience potentially brought on by unmoderated use. Ketamine therapy is data-driven, evidence-based care that offers relief to patients who experience treatment-resistant disorders. Revitalize Ketamine Clinic is the only health clinic in Flagstaff that offers ketamine infusions. Treatment-resistant disorders include chronic pain and mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, substance use disorder and personality disorders. People experiencing these afflictions often struggle to find success relying on symptomrelieving treatments, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or mood stabilizers. Ketamine can create a different experience by granting patients a mental space of clarity to
consider the underlying problem causing the symptom. Ketamine is included on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medications and is classified as a dissociative anesthetic. At Revitalize, the drug is used off-label, which means the drug is used outside the designation of FDA policy. Clinics administering off-label use of ketamine help to prevent unattended recreational use of the drug. Recreational use can lead to addiction or overdose, which is characterized by delirium, amnesia, impaired motor function and potentially fatal respiratory problems. To combat the dangers of recreational use, clinicians at Revitalize monitor vitals to ensure a patient’s safety. The injection can be halted at any time, allowing for a completely controlled experience with the drug. Casey Dubravcic is the owner and operator of Revitalize and has worked in the field of psychiatry for eight years. Dubravcic said after working with traditional treatments, he found they rarely addressed the root of the issue. “I got pretty jaded on the traditional treatments that more or less are treating symptoms of underlying problems,”
Dubravcic said. “My perception is that depression and anxiety, hypervigilance, substance use disorder, histrionic personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, those are your psyche’s cries for help, ‘Hey, what we’re doing isn’t working.’” Dubravcic has followed the trajectory of ketamine research as a treatment for mental health since 2008 and opened Revitalize in April 2021. The treatment plan consists of six sessions of ketamine infusion administered into the bloodstream. Since Revitalize provides ketamine off-label, insurance does not cover the treatments. Each infusion costs $495 plus a $100 payment to establish as a patient. All six required sessions would cost over $3,000, but Dubravcic offers a discount for completing the full treatment, which brings the total down to $2,495. The multiple sessions allow for optimal neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to change through growth and reorganization. Within minutes of receiving ketamine, new signal receptors are formed. These allow the patient to gain a stronger ability to help the patient challenge their original perception of traumatic experiences. See KETAMINE on PAGE 20
Left: Dubravcic looks at artwork made by a former Revitalize Ketamine Clinic patient, Nov. 1. Patients’ artwork from treatments can be seen around the clinic. Right: Monica Creek works the front desk at the clinic. Creek is a former patient who is now the lead receptionist. John Chaides | The Lumberjack