Pepperdine Graphic Special Edition: Drugs

DR UG THE GRAPHIC: SPECIAL EDITION

SPRING 2019 For a psychedelic surprise, scan this QR code with your camera! frontcover.indd 1

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Caffeine Culture at Pepperdine

Adderall — Study Friend or Foe?

Let's be Blunt About Marijuana in Malibu

A New Age of Nicotine

Raves and Pychedelic Drug Culture — One and the Same?

The Impact of Prenatal Drug Exposure on Mothers and Babies

Cracking Cocaine Myths

The Sterile Solution: Clean Needle Exchanges for Heroin Users

Keeping Up or Falling Behind

A Loved One's Role in Addiction 2

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Most long-awaited conversations with my hometown friends typically follow a structure of life updates — school, family, work and relationships. We sit over steaming cups of coffee to laugh, vent and reconnect. This past break, I found myself in our usual coffee shop discussing a new topic — a topic that was a bit uncomfortable, yet gripping. It left us sitting there talking for hours. We were completely captivated by the matter of drugs.

Drugs. When I was in fifth grade, elementary schools in my district would bring in a D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) representative to go into detail about how drugs will destroy a person's life.

Then, we all signed a pledge to never use them. Did it work? Nope. Studies such as “Why 'Just Say No' Doesn't Work” in the Scientific American have shown that this resist-drugs program was completely ineffective.

Let’s talk about why. Starting a conversation with children and young adults is a step in the right direction, but failing to continue and advance that dialogue eliminates the progress made. To give the D.A.R.E. program credit, leaders acknowledged this disconnect in 2009 and formed their new program motto "keepin' it REAL" in 2013, according to the Scientific American.

Programs like the original version of D.A.R.E. only touched on the extremes of drug usage — overdoses, addiction, death. In reality, drugs can be (and in some cases, are) used safely. But in efforts to not promote drugs, we leave out these stories and have conversations that are only a small part of the truth.

This dialogue needs to be more than telling the youth to “just say no.”

Educate preteens and young adults on the questions they are curious about: Why do people start to use? Can drugs be used safely? What are the common misconceptions about drugs?

It can be awkward to initiate this discussion, as I know it was for me as an adolescent.

A majority of parents and teachers do not like to acknowledge that teens may use drugs, and pre-

teens and teens are hesitant to ask for more information for fear of being reprimanded or judged.

The purpose of this special edition is not to normalize/promote drug use or addiction. It was created out of my own curiosity and hope to start a conversation. Too often individuals shy away from complicated topics, afraid that personal beliefs will conflict with those of friends or family. Approaching difficult conversations with empathy, patience and courage can bring a community closer together; we can start that genuine discussion today.

This publication covers drug use from Adderall to marijuana to heroin. Individuals from across the nation contributed in sharing their professional and personal experience with drugs. It is important to note that every personal journey with drugs and recovery is different; one's own journey may take a different route, and that's all right. Some pieces and images may be uncomfortable to read or look at, but they tell authentic stories that deserve to be discussed.

To every writer, thank you for tackling these ambitious stories and writing such powerful pieces.

To the designers, photographers and artists, thank you for breaking the rules (ironically, as drugs do) with our creative elements to create amazing artwork.

Thank you to our copy chief for reading and rereading every word. Thank you to my advisers Elizabeth Smith and Courtenay Stallings for being two of the most supportive and insightful mentors. A major shout out and thank you to Miss Callie Jones for inspiring this magazine topic and initiating this conversation within my own life.

So take a seat, grab your own cup of caffeine and welcome into the wild, honest world of drugs.

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STAFF AND CONTRIBUTORS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Channa Steinmetz

HEAD DESIGNER

PHOTO EDITOR

ASSISTANT DESIGNER

COPY EDITOR

ARTISTS

WRITERS

Caitlin Roark Bethany Wilson

Madeleine Carr Gianni Cocchella Araceli Crescencio Anastassia Kostin Ashley Mowreader Madison Nichols Nicole Spafford Maria Valente

Natalie Rulon

Kiley Distelrath

ADVISERS Elizabeth Smith Courtenay Stallings

Milan Loiacono

Ryan Harding

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AT PEPPE

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PPERDINE

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By Gianni Cocchella Photos by Milan Loiacono

professor of Nutritional Science at Pepperdine University, said. “It’s not a necessary component of the diet that Caffeine culture at Pepperdine you need to consume to be healthy. has always been prevalent, but many It’s sort of an added benefit.” students say it has intensified with the Helm said caffeine has an overall addition of a Starbucks on campus, positive effect on the human body, but which opened in the fall of 2017. there are issues when people abuse “People love coffee and caffeine at the substance.

Pepperdine,” Pepperdine junior Sarah “With normal consumption, Blase said. “People just go crazy over which is probably like two cups of it. Ever since we got Starbucks, I feel regular coffee a day or one espresso, it like it’s made more people addicted to keeps your body alert,” Helm said. “It it.” keeps you interested and curious. It Pepperdine acquired a Starbucks makes you more social and involved. with the completion of the Payson It’s psychological, so you feel more Library Remodel and Renovation energetic.”

Project. The coffee shop has become a hotspot on campus; and Pepperdine Coffee students claim it could be a reason for a possible increase of caffeine The primary intake of caffeine for addiction on campus. most adults in the U.S. is from coffee, Whether it’s a cup of coffee from according to the National Center for Starbucks or a soda drink from the Biotechnology Information (NCBI). vending machine, Pepperdine and While a moderate intake of caffeine the world have embraced caffeine and is recognized as safe by both the infused it with everyday life.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration “I think I’m a little addicted to (FDA) and the American Medical coffee,” Pepperdine senior Audrey Association (AMA), abuse continues Riedel said. “It’s a part of my morning to exist and can have harmful routine. I feel like my day hasn’t really effects. started until I have my daily cup of “Probably the biggest negative coffee.” with caffeine is that if you are addicted, and you don’t drink it for two or The World’s Most Used Drug three days, you go into withdrawals and get major headaches,” Helm said.

Caffeine, a central nervous system “Most people who withdraw from stimulant (CNS), is the world’s most caffeine do get irritable. They’re not widely accessible and used drug, fun to be around, and they don’t feel according to a report published by the same because they don’t get the the Journal of Young Investigators. kick of their metabolism or energy.”

About 89 percent of U.S. adults Blase said she has noticed that consume caffeine regularly, according some people depend on coffee more to survey results published in a than they should. study by Science Direct in 2018.

“I know people who have coffee Its prevalence in many drinks every day, sometimes multiple times makes caffeine the most widely a day,” Blase said. “I think that’s used psychoactive substance in the abusive because you're treating your world. A psychoactive substance is body poorly when you’re making it a chemical that alters brain function run on caffeine for so long.” and creates changes in perception, Pepperdine junior Shea McCollum mood consciousness, cognition and also reflected on her own experience behavior, according to ScienceDaily. witnessing caffeine abuse.

“Caffeine can be addictive, and it’s “I have family members who have not necessary,” Susan Edgar Helm, become so addicted to coffee that 7

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they get major migraines when they stop drinking it,” McCollum said.

“They don’t go through the process of cleansing themselves of it, so I would say that’s an abuse.”

Pepperdine graduate student Joel Foster, who works at coffee shop Five 07, wrote in an email that the positive and negative effects of caffeine are circumstantial.

“It depends on the person,” Foster wrote. “For people that develop a reliance on it, I think it is negative. I also think people prone to stress and anxiety should avoid it. It heightens that overall sense of stress for people and the need to get things done.”

Caffeine Pills Caffeine pills have become an alternative form to consume caffeine.

Caffeine pills contain about 100 to 200 milligrams of caffeine per pill, which is about the equivalent to one cup of coffee, according to an article by Livestrong.

Although the FDA has increased regulations on alternative forms of caffeine, caffeine pills remain legal and available for consumption.

“What we’re seeing is students staying up until three in the morning and then taking six of these pills,” Helm said.

Helm said an abuse of caffeine can put students on overdrive, making them want to sleep in the following day and miss class.

“They’re a short-term gain, with a longtime loss,” Helm said. “It’s a drug. When you take a caffeine pill, you’re taking a drug.”

The overuse of caffeine pills can lead to life-threatening effects. The number of deaths resulting from overuse of caffeine has increased since the first paper about lethal caffeine intoxication published in 1959 was released, according to a study published by the NCBI. However, caffeine pills may be taken safely when using them as directed, according to an article by the Pharmacy Times.

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Espresso Shots

is how big soda drink companies for years have gotten people to drink The espresso shot, a very ridiculous amounts of chemicals.” concentrated form of caffeine, is rich Some students at Pepperdine in flavor but can be just as dangerous prefer soda drinks over coffee. as caffeine pills. Espresso, which is “I really hate coffee, so I never usually served as a shot by ounce, has drink it,” McCollum said. “But I will more caffeine than a cup of coffee, have soda sometimes.” according to an article published by These fizzy drinks are high in Consumer Reports. sugar, and health-related issues Eve Lovato, a junior at Pepperdine arise when you drink them quickly, who works at the on-campus frequently or with alcohol, according Starbucks, discussed what she sees as to HealthiNation. a Starbucks worker.

“Legally we’re not allowed to sell Positive Effects of Caffeine more than six shots, and people will come in and ask for eight shots,” Despite the negative effects of Lovato said. “I think people will overuse, caffeine has a positive order them separately so they can still effect when used correctly. Caffeine get them, but occasionally we’ll have has numerous benefits, including to give them a warning and say that keeping people awake and allowing we’re not supposed to give you more them to pay attention. The stimulant than six.” also increases alertness, enhances Some students will get double the attention and reduces the maximum amount. perception of fatigue.

“I know someone that will “It keeps your cortisol level, sometimes get 12-to-13 shots,” Lovato or stress hormone, up,” Helm said. said. “I think emotionally, Lovato said cutting back on it also gives you the caffeine is a beneficial step to one's energy to connect with health. others, and physically, “I’m for [cutting back],” Lovato your body likes to be said. “It’s just hard to remind yourself alert.” and be intentional about it, especially in college when you think you need caffeine.”

McCollum sees caffeine as having a positive effect overall but recognizes some of the limitations.

“I think [caffeine] has a positive effect if you use it in moderation, like to help you wake up,” McCollum said.

“But, it can definitely still be abused.”

Soda and Energy Drinks Both soda and energy drinks are known for their high caffeine content.

These common products increase heart rates and blood pressure, according to a study in the Journal of American Heart Association (JAMA).

Soda and energy drinks contain a variety of chemicals and substances that are mixed in with caffeine, according to an article published by HealthiNation.

“I think [caffeine] is the main source behind some of our soda drinks.” Helm said. “I think some people like the caffeine in them more than the actual soda drink itself. This

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ADDERALL —

STUDY FRIEND OR FOE?

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By Anastassia Kostin Photos by Milan Loiacono Adderall: It is an addictive prescription stimulant some college students call their favorite “study buddy,” helping them out sporadically during all-night cram sessions and finals, but not without serious effects.

John Doe* is a Pepperdine student who has used Adderall without a prescription to study for exams since high school.

“After you take it, you feel way more focused and actually have increased enthusiasm to learn,” Doe said. “You get your work done on time and are extremely focused. Your mind space is completely filled by what you're learning.”

Medically, Adderall is prescribed to students for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

There are other drugs that are used to treat ADHD as well, and most of them share amphetamine, or some form of it, in their physical makeup.

While seemingly common on college campuses, Adderall is a Schedule II controlled substance in the U.S., and is classified as a stimulant. Full-time college students are the worst offenders of Adderall use. Studies such as the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found college students use the drug at twice the rate of their peers who do not attend college.

Sparkle Greenhaw, a certified counselor at the Pepperdine Counseling Center, said that the last National College Health Assessment (NCHA) survey Pepperdine administrated is from spring of 2017. At that time, 10 percent of males at Pepperdine reported they had misused a stimulant at least once in the past year, and 5 percent of females reported they had misused a stimulant at least once in the previous year.

Nationally, Greenhaw said the number is typically between 10 and 11 percent for college students who

have misused Adderall and Ritalin, a stimulant also used to treat ADHD. At Pepperdine, stimulant misuse has remained somewhat consistent over the past two surveys given out by Pepperdine, Greenhaw said.

However, there are two things that contradict each other.

“One is that, yes, some people do tend to under report and especially about a prescription drug,” Greenhaw said. “Someone else might use it as prescribed but they may mix it with alcohol ... so we consider that misuse when they answer the question, but they may not. So, it's pretty complicated to get good data on prescription drug misuse.”

Amphetamine is the active drug in Adderall that causes the stimulatory effects, said Michael Folkerts, an associate professor of Psychology at Pepperdine. More surprisingly, is how closely related these amphetamine-like properties are to that of methamphetamine, or meth for short, because of their chemical makeup structure.

Methamphetamine is a very addictive stimulant drug that at first causes a rush of good feelings and can quickly lead to addiction, according to an article by MedlinePlus.

“It’s very difficult for humans to tell them apart,” Folkerts said.

“Part of the issue is you can give amphetamine or methamphetamine to humans legally as a pharmaceutical drug. At the same time, if you took methamphetamine, that would be an illegal drug.”

With studies showing that between 5 to 35 percent of collegeage individuals use non-prescribed stimulants, including Ritalin and Concerta, there is an overall destigmatized view of stimulant drugs, according to a 2015 College Prescription Drug Study by Ohio State University.

Adderall still holds a stigma for those students who oppose its use.

“There is a bad stigma, but I'd say

all drugs are only bad to the point of abuse,” Doe said. “Addiction is something that can happen with anything like, you can be addicted to caffeine, success or losing weight.

As long as you're conscious of the fact that you could have the possibility of being addicted to that substance, you will tend to avoid any pathway that will eventually lead to addiction.”

Even if users are educated on the drug they are using and its effects, there is still the possibility of getting caught with Adderall taken without a prescription.

“The consequences of getting caught with [Adderall] are according to the law outside of Pepperdine,” Greenhaw said. “It is considered to be in the same classification as cocaine because it's a stimulant, and people don't always know that. If they get caught with it, not just in Pepperdine, I just mean in the world ... the stakes are very high.”

There is a worry that students with ADHD will be less likely to seek help from psychiatrists due to the stigma that they just need to focus harder to do well in school, rather than receive medicine, Folkerts said.

“For someone who has a psychological disorder, you see there’s a disconnect from truly understanding what a psychological disorder is and how that’s manifested,” Folkerts said.

“The worry is that people who hear this language — the very people that could benefit from these medicines — would not ask about them or see a psychiatrist because they don’t want to be perceived as using a crutch, being weak or not being smart enough.”

Those individuals who benefit from Adderall use and feel like it helps them focus in school may benefit from a prescription, Greenhaw said.

“If it is helping them, they likely could benefit from having that prescription,” Greenhaw said. “But, not everyone benefits from it. People that use it that don't need it tend to get 10

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shaky and jittery and [experience] heart palpitations. Then, they stay up all night and they're stressed and they're more anxious, versus the person who needs it and it's going to help them get into an average place of concentration.”

To get a prescription for Adderall, students visit psychiatrists who have specific training in these drugs. Thomas Brod is the Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine.

While an assortment of brain and

psychometric tests add some certainty to the diagnosis a doctor makes for an Adderall prescription, there are no absolutely definitive objective tests, Brod wrote in an email.

“I sometimes wonder when I prescribe for a young person — especially college student — whether I am being 'gamed,' and of course a worse thought is whether the student is selling his prescription,” Brod wrote. “I can never be totally secure that the person who presents to me is being fully honest, but it’s my job to help people, and it’s best to have a stance of trust.”

New patients wanting to get a prescription for Adderall will typically fill out a series of forms and symptom

inventories and then be interviewed for about an hour, Brod wrote.

“I assume I’ve been fooled a few times, and don’t even know it,” Brod wrote. “However, over extended treatment, I come to know my patients, and usually it’s especially clear over time that their invisible disability, and then their relief through medication, is real.”

Jack Tsuruda attends Moorpark College and is prescribed Adderall to help focus in school.

Tsuruda said people ask to buy Adderall off him about once a week.

While Tsuruda only takes it when he needs to focus, he said he feels there is no way to stop people that take it for finals or other short-term needs.

“Everyone does it, even middle schoolers,” Tsuruda said. “You just go into the doctor and you say, ‘Hey, I can't focus in school.’ That's literally it.”

Doe said he gets Adderall from friends, and that they give it to him willingly because they know he is going to use it for strictly academic purposes.

“I don't worry about getting addicted, and if I was addicted, I would seek help because I know there are friends that know that I do this,” Doe said. “I think if I reach out to them, they will help me.”

Drugs, such as Adderall, that contain amphetamine are not making students cognitively smarter or making them necessarily perform better because of their pharmacological properties.

“What they are doing in the short term is [causing] increased alertness,” Folkerts said. “For those who have ADHD, these drugs have been found to be beneficial. They’re taken in the non-ADHD student population, I imagine, because it [they] can be used as a study drug as it keeps students more alert.”

Doe said he believes he and

others who use Adderall without a prescription do so because they need reassurance that they can succeed.

“This generation growing up in such a technological age with such high competitiveness,” Doe said. “I think there's a culture to excel and to be great, even though sometimes you might not be great. We're always asking for confirmation and affirmation. It can be tiring. With the drugs, sometimes people might feel as though they've advanced in terms of their skill level, and so it just builds on that and perpetuates.”

A study published in the US National Library of Medicine in 2016 found that students who used prescription drugs non-medically showed no increases in their GPAs and gained no detectable advantages over their peers.

This disconnect in what students are saying about Adderall and what is actually happening can be attributed to a lack of education about such study drugs.

“If we were educated enough, it would clear a lot of the problems associated with this mythological thinking,” Folkerts said.

The main concerns with Adderall, since it causes increased alertness, are the following: 1) Students are not prescribed it. Taking a drug not prescribed to an individual is dangerous, not necessarily because the drug is dangerous, but because one does not have the information needed to make a wise decision. If someone is prescribed Adderall, it means their brain machinery is different.

2) Students may not know anything about dosage. If one increases Adderall dosage chronically, it can cause chronic alertness, which leads to sleep loss. Additionally, building up tolerance to a drug means one can easily move from feelings of euphoria and heightened energy to feelings of anxiety, fear and irritability.

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3) The drug may have other biological effects. Short term effects include irritability/ hostility, dry mouth, feelings of restlessness, appetite suppression, heart palpitations and potentially dangerous cardiac issues. Adderall abuse can result in symptoms such as fatigue, feelings of depression and increased anxiety and stressors.

“I think there is definitely a negative effect,” Doe said. “There are times when you might feel dizzy or you're just not hungry. And that might affect your dietary habits or health in general.”

Folkerts said he believes students' pursuit of stimulants, whether they be coffee, energy drinks or Adderall, speaks to a larger problem on campus — sleep deprivation.

“I always say, ‛sleep is your new best friend,’” Folkerts said. “But in a college culture we don’t often hear that. [Sleep] gives you more rest, helps your immune system function and it improves your memory, which is a big deal to performing well.”

Overall, many myths surrounding the non-medical use of prescription drugs need to be dispelled, namely the myth that Adderall is not as dangerous to one's health compared to other drugs.

Doe said he knew Adderall is similar in terms of chemical makeup to meth, but that does not change his view on it.

“It's a totally different sensation,” Doe said. “The tendency to be addicted to meth is because it makes you feel so good. Whereas Adderall, for me personally, mostly affects my mind space rather than my overall feeling. I don't get that much of a euphoria. I take it with the intention to study, so I don't lose that guy that I created for myself.”

For students like Doe that use the drug exclusively for studying, he says it is all about the attitude.

“Some people might rely heavily on it so they're not using it for enhancement, they’re using it for reliance,” Doe said. “That's the difference. One’s a dependency and one’s a supplement.”

Even if students begin to question the motives behind what makes them want to reach for an Adderall pill during those late-night hours, the hope is that they also begin to wonder what makes it a prescription drug to begin with.

The Counseling Center gives information out to students about drugs in the My Student Body program that incoming students have to complete online and through first year seminars, programs, presentations and tabling events.

However, Greenhaw said students play a role in educating their peers. Student organizations can speak up or do something prevention-wise as a group if they feel like drug misuse is an issue on campus. If there is an individual they are concerned about, they can get them to come to the Counseling Center to do a confidential alcohol and drug assessment to get feedback.

Faculty members can also look out in classrooms for warning signs with students they may be concerned about. Bystander intervention by anyone is strongly encouraged.

“Think factual, so not sharing opinions like, 'You shouldn't use that, that's bad,' but using things like, 'Okay, you only got two hours of sleep last night, you've been more irritable than usual, and you're talking about your heart racing,'” Greenhaw said. “Sharing facts with people can be a lot more impactful sometimes in addition to sharing care and concern, but not sharing judgment or opinions.”

For individuals who misuse drugs like Adderall, there is always the possibility of there being some type of consequences. The goal is that using such stimulants will not have a lifelong impact on individuals, whether they build up their tolerance to it or get in legal trouble. Achieving this goal can only be done by starting conversations about drug misuse.

“It takes a village,” Greenhaw said. “It takes all of us doing what it takes.” *Name has been changed to protect the identity of the student.

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By Channa Steinmetz The Golden State became a trailblazer in the field of marijuana back in 1996 when a majority of Californians were the first in the nation to vote yes on Proposition 215, according to the National Conference of State Legislators. Proposition 215 legalized the medicinal use of marijuana.

Twenty years later in 2016, voters returned to the ballots to vote yes on Proposition 64 — a bill that legalized the sale and distribution of recreational marijuana to those 21 and older, starting Jan. 1, 2018, according to NBC. Although Prop. 64 legalized cannabis for adult use, cities in California were still given the right to ban any and all cannabis activity.

Although Malibu had one of the largest percentages of votes for Prop.

64, the Malibu City Council voted 3-2 to ban the adult use of marijuana and the delivery of medical marijuana back in February of 2018, according to L.A. Cannabis News. Then-Mayor Rick Mullen said he voted for the ban as a way to take caution to the new bill.

“We decided, let’s let all those other towns work it

out, and we can sit back and see what’s good and what’s bad,” Mullen said.

“Maybe even learn something before we went headlong into the unknown.”

Measure G Malibu resident and CEO of 99 High Tide dispensary Yvonne DeLaRosa Green and her husband Sam Boyer had attended City Council hearings and were upset with the council’s decision.

After seeing how the new ban affected their customers, Green said she had to make a change.

“The very next day after the ban, we had a mother come in with her son who was having massive seizures,” Green said. “He couldn't even make it upstairs to the dispensary, and she ran in panicked and crying because she was unable to get delivery to her home.

We knew we needed to fight for this.”

Green said she and her husband began researching and meeting with attorneys to start a grassroots campaign for the

full legalization of marijuana. The two had to get enough signatures to put “Measure G” on the November ballot in 2018. Measure G allowed for delivery, adult use and a 2.5 percent tax on sales of non-medical cannabis. One of the supporters for Measure G was council member Skylar Peak, who also voted against the ban in February.

“It is important to have an open mind and educate oneself about anything going into one’s body,” Peak said. “For Malibu, retail sales and delivery of Marijuana will allow folks to have access to quality products they otherwise would seek out on the black market.”

Measure G was approved in the November elections with a 70 percent approval rating, according to BallotPedia. Green said there was no pushback from the Malibu community before or after the vote.

“Absolutely no one came out against it — not one person,” Green said. “Even Rick Mullen personally congratulated me, and said he would support whatever the people of Malibu voted for.”

As for the new 2.5 percent tax, that money will be put into a general fund that can be used for projects that the community votes on. Cities in Colorado,

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where recreational marijuana has been legal for five years, have used the funds for homeless shelters, scholarships for underprivileged students and construction projects, according to CPR News.

“It’s exciting that we’re going to have more money in our city to do the things we need,” Green said. “Especially after the fires, there are going to be a lot of things that we will need to rebuild and programs to heal our community.”

Community Use of Marijuana Culture of the 80s and movies such as “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” popularized the idea that all cannabis users were laid-backed, goofy stonersurfers. Today, Green said there is no longer a general stereotype for those who use; she gets customers from various backgrounds.

“Yes, we have those surfer-type patients — but most of our patients are actually seniors,” Green said. “We cater to patients of all nationalities, socioeconomic classes, men and women; we see everyone and anybody that you could imagine, and that’s a really beautiful thing.”

Mikke Pierson, who was elected to the City Council in November and

a supporter of Measure G, was open about how marijuana helped him after a serious mountain biking accident.

Doctors prescribed him the opioid Norco as a painkiller.

“I broke a whole bunch of bones and had to have several surgeries,” Pierson said. “I found myself in 10 days addicted to Norco. I couldn’t believe I was addicted. It took my wife three days for her to get me off it. But those were the three darkest days of my life. I literally would sit in a chair in the dark; it was horrible.”

The incident taught Pierson more about the science and details behind marijuana.

“I thought I knew a lot about marijuana,” Pierson said. “But I didn’t know anything about medicinal, and I was amazed by how detailed the science was. [Marijuana] kept me functioning, but it led me to relax and not feel that intense pain.”

Peak said he personally has benefitted from marijuana, and has also had a close friend diagnosed with cancer use it. Its use, Peak said, helped keep up his friend’s diet and reduce the pain.

The use of cannabis during cancer treatment is what sparked the idea of 99 High Tide, Green said. When Green’s

mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, the two visited several dispensaries to get the medication.

“I was just mortified,” Green said.

“All of them were not a place you’d want to take your mom to. They were unwelcoming and made me feel like I was doing something wrong.”

A year later in 2008, Green opened her first dispensary — 99 High Art Collective — on Abbot Kinney in Venice. The dispensary was combined with an art gallery, creating the first upscale dispensary, according to Forbes. Now, Green owns the only dispensary in Malibu, 99 High Tide.

As for Green’s mother, Green said that 12 years after her diagnosis and using cannabis solely as her medicine, she is cancer free and a world traveler.

While studies so far have shown cannabis can be safe in treating cancer, they do not show that they help control or cure the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

Cannabis use is not limited to humans, as Green said she also treats the four-legged members of the community.

“Animals will use cannabis for the same things humans use it for,” Green said. “Dogs have cancer; dogs have anxiety. Now, a lot of veterinarians are

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turning to cannabis and CBD for pets because they see how beneficial it is for them, whereas drugs have terrible side effects and don't always do the trick.”

Doing a study on the effects of cannabis on dogs is tricky. Marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance according to the federal government.

To do any clinical studies on its medical applications, researchers need to register with the Drug Enforcement Agency, get a special license, submit an application for the study to the Food and Drug Administration and obtain the marijuana from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, according to PetMD. PetMD goes on to say that some veterinarians have been vocal on the benefits cannabis may have on dogs, whereas others take caution because it has not undergone the same testings that new medicines do.

Other Health Aspects Marijuana may not be a cure-all for all aspects of health. For users whose brains are still developing, marijuana may impair thinking, memory and learning functions, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Pepperdine alumna and psychiatrist Dr. Emily Bost-Baxter said adolescents are the most vulnerable and have the greatest risk of the negative consequences from marijuana. BostBaxter, who runs her own private practice and works at the Alcott Center, shared the effects marijuana may have on mental illness.

“We have no research that shows marijuana is helpful for mental illness,” Bost-Baxter said. “The research shows that it can worsen depression, anxiety and increase thoughts of suicide and suicide attempts.”

Along with age, dosage is a factor that Bost-Baxter urges others to consider. She said those who use marijuana daily will face more of the negative side-effects.

taking the drug, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Those who use before the age of 18 are four to seven times more likely to develop a disorder. Bost-Baxter said the addiction is both mental and physical, along with the withdrawals.

“I see withdrawal symptoms when a chronic user stops,” Bost-Baxter said.

“The mental part of withdrawal occurs when the user feels like they need it.

Physically, withdrawal symptoms can look like irritability, anxiety, insomnia or sleep disturbance, headaches, and restlessness. Really severely, we can see chills, fevers and hallucinations.”

Marketing and minimal research contributes to the public’s lack of knowledge on the different aspects of marijuana, Bost-Baxter continued.

“Medical marijuana is mostly a business term; it’s just marijuana and it’s a marketing strategy,” Bost-Baxter said. “It’s not like a medication where you have a dosage and a prescription for how long you should take it to get better — we don’t have any of that research.”

Overall, Bost-Baxter emphasized having a conversation about effects of marijuana, rather than assuming it can “I'm not surprised when someone always be used as a treatment. uses it every single day,” Bost-Baxter “I'm not arguing to make it legal or said. “I have patients who use it four to illegal,” Bost-Baxter said. “I think it just five times a day, every single day. They needs to be treated more like alcohol; are addicted.” we need to have a more balanced Thirty percent of those who approach to understanding it and its use marijuana have some degree of potential public health and personal marijuana use disorder, which is often consequences, rather than it being seen associated with dependence or a feeling as a cure-all answer.” of withdrawal symptoms when not

We need to have a more balanced approach to understanding it and its potential public health and personal consequences.

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A NEW AGE OF

NICOTINE

By Maria Valente

“I’m definitely addicted,” Pepperdine senior Griffin Duvall said.

“Mentally and chemically.”

Duvall said he began smoking cigarettes during his sophomore year, while he was abroad in Florence, Italy.

“I feel like everyone did,” Duvall said. “People try it because it's the culture.”

After Duvall returned from Italy, he had a talk with his father who helped him realize he needed to find a healthier alternative to smoking. He started “JUULing” last year.

“I definitely saw improvements,” Duvall said. “I got to the point where I even tried smoking a cigarette, and it kind of made me sick. I remember vividly stepping outside to try a cigarette for the first time in a while, and I nearly threw up.”

One may have noticed the rapidly growing amount of Pepperdine students using JUUL pens. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in June of 2018 that e-cigarette sales increased 641 percent in 2017.

E-cigarettes have long marketed themselves as the healthier alternative to smoking cigarettes. Pepperdine students admit they are addicted to their JUULs, while others are concerned for their long-term health.

The Science of 'JUULing' “Nicotine is the drug of all drugs,” said Michael Folkerts, professor of Psychology. “Legal or illegal, you have the highest percent risk of continuing use even when you have information against it.”

Folkerts said nicotine, the chemical compound found in the tobacco plant, is the source of the high one experiences after smoking. It is also the addictive component.

Thirty-three percent of all tobacco users have substance abuse issues.

Tobacco is the highest rate of addiction for any drug reported, Folkerts said.

Most people are familiar with the idea that smoking cigarettes results in longterm, life-altering health conditions.

“We know that continued smoking of tobacco can lead to the development of chronic diseases, cancers and cardiovascular disease,” Folkerts said.

“These are profound, enduring and severe consequences.”

Folkerts emphasized the importance of dose size when comparing JUULs and cigarettes.

“One of the things I always say is dose matters,” Folkerts said. “A typical tobacco cigarette contains between 6 and 11 milligrams of nicotine, so not that

much, [and] when you're smoking, you don't get all of that nicotine. You probably get no more than one to three milligrams that actually reach the bloodstream of a smoker.”

Each pod contains a 5 percent concentration of nicotine, according to the JUUL website. This is about double the amount of any other e-cigarette on the market, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. A pod is equal to 200 puffs of a cigarette, or an entire pack of them.

Folkerts explained how the route of administration of nicotine makes all the difference when making distinctions between cigarettes and JUULs. E-cigarettes, the large umbrella under which JUULs reside, contain no tobacco and are made of plastic. The nicotine in e-cigarettes and JUULs is mixed in a solution with the chemical glycerin.

“Studies have found that when you heat up glycerin, you get toxic chemicals,” Folkerts said. “They're toxic aldehydes.”

Formaldehyde, an aldehyde commonly used for the preserving of dead bodies, is one of the many chemicals released in e-cigarettes.

Aldehydes are organic compounds made from the oxidation of alcohols, and are often used for embalming, glue 18

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cally ­— all of this is setting the stage.”

Is 'JUULing' Worse Than Smoking?

and insecticides.

In addition to the physical effects of smoking, there are some psychological effects as well.

“When someone first starts smoking, there are usually negative effects,” Folkerts said. “[There is] heightened tension, arousal, lightheadedness, dizziness and even nausea. So you have to keep smoking. You have to build up somewhat of a tolerance.”

After that tolerance is built, a smoker will begin to experience positive effects, including a feeling of calmness, relaxing and hyperfunctionality.

“You can get a much higher dosage [of nicotine] from just like one hit of a vape,” Duvall said. “There’s a nature of sharpening the mind, like hyperfocus.”

Again, the route of administration plays a pivotal role in how smokers can be psychologically addicted as well.

“When you're holding a cigarette, you’re getting positive reinforcement for every puff you're taking,” Folkerts said. “You have to take lots of puffs of this cigarette to finish it and to get to that end. So behaviorally, psychologi-

The short answer is, scientists don't know.

Folkerts said there are no studies yet that have “compared chronic vapors versus chronic tobacco smokers, with matched controls where people don’t smoke or vape at all.”

The only deduction that could possibly be made is that because e-cigarettes and JUULs don’t contain some of the same chemicals, they appear to decrease the risk of those chronic diseases caused by cigarette smoking.

“E-cigarettes and smoking are producing similar toxic chemicals by a byproduct of burning of heat,” Folkerts said. “But the amounts of those chemicals are much higher in tobacco smoke than in vaping and e-cigarette vapor.”

Folkerts said there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to determine the long-term effects of “JUULing,” as well as finding better alternatives.

Who Is 'JUULing'?

Arguably, the most controversial aspect of JUULs is the fact that high school students are the target demographic, a fact that is under investigation by the FDA, according to The New York Times.

“2014 was a pivotal year because that's when e-cigarette use in high schoolers superseded that of tobacco cigarettes in high school,” Folkerts said. “At its peak, it was a little over 15 percent of high school students.”

Folkerts said this spike occurred during a period where the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wasn’t involved in any real investigations of e-cigarettes. At this time, over 400 brands of e-cigarettes were available in

over 7,000 different flavors.

Senior Katie Walker said these “fun” flavors are only one of the reasons JUULs are attractive to younger people.

“It's all over social media,” Walker said. “People will have accounts where they can do different tricks with what they've smoked, and it's appealing.”

Freshman Jacob Resendiz agreed with Walker. Resendiz said the stigma that comes with smoking cigarettes doesn’t exist yet for using JUULs. “JUULs don't smell bad,” Resendiz said. “It's not an unattractive act. Most people look at it and don't think twice, whereas if somebody sees a cigarette in public, [you] cover your nose or walk the other way.”

Resendiz said he remembered JUULs being extremely popular with the underclassmen at his high school, and the reputation one achieved from using a JUUL meant a lot.

“It was kind of seen as rebellious,” Resendiz said. “Everyone knew that you weren't allowed to do it at school, but it kind of raised your profile to a ‘bad boy.’”

Resendiz said his mom, who is a Spanish teacher at his former high school, described JUUL usage as an “epidemic.”

“I know so many people in high school who carry the thing around them like it's their phone,” Resendiz said. “It's just something that they can't go 10, 15, 20 minutes without. It's beyond me.”

Duvall said at his former high school, they have begun to put up signs and make official rules banning JUULs from campus.

“Going home to the Nashville area, there are problems out there with enforcing no JUULs in high schools and stuff like that,” Duvall said. “It's sad to think that back in my day, the only thing they were outlawing were Heelys.”

Folkerts said there are some serious risks with adolescent “JUULing.“ One is the naivety of the smoker in their young age.

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“If [a high schooler] is taking it, [they’re] probably not asking questions of how much nicotine is in this or anything about dosage,” Folkerts said.

“Drugs in the adolescent population are very, very risky because you have a developing brain.”

Why Do Pepperdine Students JUUL? “I can put it down whenever I want,” senior David John Macedo said.

“But I just don’t want to.”

Macedo said he began smoking cigarettes while in high school.

“I grew up in a small town where smoking was very much a norm,” Macedo said. “People smoked Marlboro Reds like it was their job.

I did smoke cigarettes before I ever started vaping, and then 'JUULing' came around, and I saw it as my means of quitting cigarettes.”

After years of smoking, Macedo began to see the telling symptoms of long-term cigarette smoking, including dryness of hair, brittle nails and an overall bad feeling about his health. He attributed “JUULing” to his successfully quitting tobacco.

Macedo has been using a JUUL for about a year, and said he uses his JUUL several times throughout the day.

“I JUUL with my cup of coffee in the morning, I JUUL after a meal, I JUUL on my way to school, I do it on my way home from school, I do it before bed,” Macedo said. “You can do it everywhere, whereas with cigarettes, you can't do that everywhere.”

Macedo said his situation is not unique.

“I like to consider myself as the honors student, prep type, [and] I'm doing it,” Macedo said. “You have the people who go out, they do it.

You have nerds doing it. You have the international students doing it.

You have the jocks doing it. Frat boys, [sorority] girls. It's cross segmentation all across all these different identity groups.”

When asked how much he spends on JUULing per year, Macedo's calculations added up to $700.

“It sucks,” Macedo said. “You say ‘it's just another 30 bucks,’ and then you go down another 30 bucks. Then you realize you're doing that every two weeks for a year. It's adding up.

I mean, you're spending over $700.

That's a vacation.”

Despite the financial burden, Macedo said he finds it hard to simply quit using his JUUL, not only for the addictive effects, but the process.

“You do it so much, you puff on it so much that it becomes second nature,” Macedo said. “It's like chewing your fingernails or tapping your foot when you're anxious. It becomes a reflex. I think one of the terrible things about JUULs as well is that the pods aren't recyclable. You can't get rid of the JUUL itself because it's a battery and so you have to have it specially recycled. It's like almost more effort to get rid of it than to just keep it.”

Macedo said he wasn’t sure whether or not he was addicted to his JUUL. “I'm trying to wean myself off of my JUULs,” Macedo said. “Slowly but surely. I feel like my hands are empty if I don't have my JUUL readily available. But I can tell you the moment I get new pods and the moment that I take my first puff, my body feels different.”

conscious effort not to think about what the potential effects of JUULing could be.

“I try not to look too much into the specifics,” Duvall said. “I just don't want to give myself nightmares.”

Walker and Resendiz said they see a disturbing parallel between cigarette popularity in the 1960s and the popularity of JUULs now.

“I think just as smoking cigarettes has become something of the past and something that we know can cause diseases and terminal illnesses, I have a very strong hesitation that JUULs will also lead to life-threatening illnesses,” Walker said. “You're just breathing chemicals into your body, and it's become this socially acceptable phenomenon.”

Walker said she doesn’t understand why people continue to JUUL, given the uncertainty behind the long term effects of it.

“It hasn't been around long enough for there to be a stigma about it or studies that prove how dangerous it is,” Walker said. “You don’t know what you’re putting in your body. It’s disgusting, period. It'll be really interesting in 20 years to see the research that comes out about it and to see how my generation responds to that research.”

Are Students Afraid of the Effects of 'JUULing'?

Macedo said he knows there are no studies proving that JUULs are undoubtedly worse than cigarettes, but if that were to be the case, he’s not certain what he would do.

Duvall said he makes a 20

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“Just go to a festival, even if it’s some wack, local one ... experience the people, experience the magic, wear whatever you want,” said Caroline Whitney, a rave enthusiast from Boston, Massachusetts, as advice to those unfamiliar with the many aspects of rave culture.

For those outside of rave culture, raves may be known primarily by their recreational drug use, especially the use of euphoriants and stimulants, by rave-goers to alter their experience.

Raves originated as small, underground parties in the 1980s, according to an article by DJ Tech Tools. Today, raves are most commonly known as allnight dance parties that can go on for three days in a row or even two weekends in a row.

Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) draws in the largest crowds with an average of 106,000 attendees per day over a three-day period, and Coachella draws in about 85,000 attendees per day, according to Infogram. The festivals mainly cater to different types of electronic dance music, or EDM, which play at different stages scattered throughout the venues.

EDC and many other festivals managed by music event promoter company Insomniac say they enforce a zero-tolerance drug policy, yet seven people have died since the festival moved to Las Vegas from the Los Angeles Coliseum in 2011, according to Rolling Stone magazine. This is a nationwide problem. Over the past 10 years, there have been at least 29 confirmed drug-related deaths nationwide since 2006 among people who went to raves organized by

Los Angeles-area companies, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Use of illegal drugs is common at festivals, especially MDMA, cocaine, LSD and shrooms. As MDMA, also known as “Molly” or “Ecstasy,” gains popularity at festivals, it is no coincidence that some artists like Tyga and Future drop references to the drug in their biggest hits.

“The DJs talk about it in the music,” Whitney said. “When I went to Ultra, ‘Mask Off’ by Future was the staple song. The opening line — ‘Percocet, Molly, Percocet.’ Or that song [“Molly”

by Tyga] that goes, ‘Hi, I’m looking for Molly. I’ve been searching everywhere and I can’t seem to find Molly, Molly, Molly …’ You’re literally endorsing drugs to the community, and then you wonder why people want to do drugs.”

Aside from drugs, the rave scene also includes laser lights, kandi bracelets (plastic bracelets with designs or wording of some sort), holographic prints, kaleidoscope goggles, colorful hair and lots of glitter. These items adorn ravers as they stand in line for routine security checks before entering the grounds of EDC. This festival is one of the biggest in the United States, boasting more than 400,000 attendees over three nights, according to iHeartRaves.

In 2017 alone, 1,000 people needed medical treatment during the threenight EDC music festival, according to Rolling Stones Magazine.

Festivals like EDC have become a venue for attendees to do drugs.

“It’s such a free atmosphere,” Whitney said. “When we went to Hard Summer, we were doing it [drugs] out in the open and nobody cared. I think there's something about a free environment where if I'm walking to go to a stage and I look to my right and these people are doing drugs, it’s normalized.”

The misuse of recreational drugs, however, can overshadow the dancing and social atmosphere at raves.

“At Lost Lands, it's full send,” Whitney said. “I literally watched some kid try to make himself throw up for 30 minutes outside of his tent. And that's the thing about rave culture. We're just like, ‘Yup we're out here, camping in the wilderness, come find me if I overdose!’ As millennials we normalize things because we can do research now.”

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Yet, using a recreational drug after doing research or in moderation is not enough to prevent possibly fatal overdoses.

Suzannah Weiss' experience with developing tolerance to MDMA after she used the drug for both rave experiences and MDMA-assisted writing sessions proved that what comes up must come down, according to Tonic.

“Writing became harder as my eyeballs darted around,” Weiss wrote.

“I shivered and sweat at the same time.

My legs shook uncontrollably. Every time I stood up to use the bathroom, my vision went black momentarily.

And I couldn't pee no matter how hard I pushed. The drug began having psychedelic effects, putting strange words into my head and warping the text on my computer. Were it not for the euphoria I was experiencing, I would’ve panicked.”

Whitney said she enjoys video blogging, or vlogging, about her festival experiences and making connections with ravers all over the nation as she travels from coast to coast to attend festivals, whether that be in Ohio for Lost Lands or California for Hard Summer. She attended her first EDC festival in 2016 where she had a neardeath experience using MDMA for the first time at a rave.

“My first festival experience could have ruined all my other experiences,” Whitney said. “My friend’s dad gave us Molly. I remember him giving it to us with a weird energy and saying, ‘Be careful.’”

The drug Molly is the crystal or powder form of MDMA, a chemical used in the street drug ecstasy.

Molly is touted as being a safer drug than ecstasy. However, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classifies MDMA as a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it has high potential for abuse and no accepted use in medical treatment,

according to an article by LiveScience.

Websites like RollSafe.org exist to help provide information on MDMA. Supplement kits sold on Amazon, or iHerb or RaveBox can reduce side effects and comedowns and help keep an individual safe. For example, supplements like magnesium can reduce jaw clenching and electrolytes, or isotonic fluids, help reduce risk of the serious condition hyponatremia, which occurs when the level of sodium in the blood is too low and can cause nausea, headaches or confusion.

One such company, RaveShield, writes on its website that kits include up to nine different supplements, which contain powerful antioxidants

and are scientifically proven compounds that work in harmony to prevent MDMA-induced toxicity.

The accessibility of supplement kits and breadth of information on the routines a raver should undertake if planning to take drugs reveals how common the practice is, though some people engage in drug use without educating themselves first.

During her first drug experience at a rave, Whitney recalled taking MDMA with no food in her system because she thought she could eat when she got inside.

“In the security line, I literally started shaking and tweaking out,” Whitney said. “I was [messed] up for 11 hours, walking up and down the streets of Manhattan afterward just trying to make myself sleep.”

Whitney said that she did not know anything about the drug

prior to the experience, but that the incident taught her the importance of researching a safe routine needed for a “good roll” — a term used to describe someone tripping off of MDMA. “Your whole body tingles,” Whitney said. “You get this rush of excitement that flows throughout your body. Everyone around me is free and happy. You get this new outlook on life, like ‘Wow there’s actually genuine people in this world.’ It’s this rush. It’s electric.”

There are serious, even deadly, effects from using MDMA. Real-life cases of MDMA misuse have included death through impaired judgment, psychosis and attempted suicide after heavy abuse, death when taken while heavily intoxicated, drugged driving and self-inflicted lung injury, according to the DEA. While Whitney said she is aware of these dangers.

She said she exercises extreme caution after her bad experience with MDMA. “Doing drugs is a process,” Whitney said. “For my other EDC Vegas event, I didn’t take any [drugs] a month before and ate healthy to prepare.”

Pepperdine junior Carina Boustany said she believes that rave culture is tied to drug culture.

“It’s not even a question,” Boustany said. “It just is. People that say it isn’t, haven't been to raves.”

A huge part of the rave culture is a set of principles called PLUR, which stands for peace, love, unity and respect, according to an article

by ThatDrop. The creation of the term is attributed to New York techno DJ Frankie Bones, according to an article

by LA Weekly. A raver abides by these principles to foster the growing EDM community.

Ravers who believe in this ideology often sport beaded bracelets called kandi. The process of exchanging these bracelets involves two ravers 24

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touching their fingertips together to form a double peace sign and reciting “peace,” “love” as their hands form the shape of a heart, “unity” as they intertwine their fingers and “respect” as they slide their bracelets from one's wrist to the other's.

A myth associated with kandi is that the bracelets began as drugdealing signals according to LA Weekly.

However, in speaking to Shana Steiner, an old-school raver from the early ’90s, LA Weekly found a more plausible origin — friendship bracelets.

Boustany said she believes PLUR culture is fueled by being on drugs.

“That culture represents exactly what it feels like to be on Molly, like good intentions and feelings of love,” Boustany said. “It becomes part of the culture.”

Substance talk on Instagram was analyzed for nearly every music festival in a study by Detox.net. Alcohol and marijuana-related search terms came up most frequently, while MDMA related terms were the next most frequently discussed.

Data collected by DanceSafe, a non-profit that promotes responsible drug use, demonstrated the need for kits to be available at electronic music festivals,

especially in the U.S. The group tested 529 total samples of substances thought to be MDMA from 2010 to 2015 and found that only 60 percent of the samples actually contained MDMA or its close cousin, MDA. Pepperdine junior Andy Foo experienced raves in Asia, as he is originally from Singapore. He said raves in Asia are more like beach parties. Instead of being centered around drugs as they sometimes are in the U.S., people who go to raves in Asia prefer to drink.

“Drugs aren't as common in Asia,” Foo said. “If you do drugs in Asia, you'll probably go to jail. If you're caught selling drugs, you can get the death penalty. So people don't really do hard drugs, and if they are doing it, they wouldn't do it at a rave or a public place.”

Foo said incorporating booths that provide testing kits could show festival organizer's lax stance on drugs.

“If it was my first time at a rave, and I saw they have drug testing kits, I'd just be like, 'Oh, they're chill,' you know?” Foo said. “Safety starts with the individual, though. You have to give yourself limits. You have to have a buddy or someone that you know can take care of you.”

The Loop, a drug testing and counseling service in Britain, recognized that illegal substances will inevitably make their way into festivals despite zero-tolerance policies. The organization provides ravers with the opportunity to anonymously visit their tent at festivals, drop off a sample of their drugs for analysis and return later to find out what exactly is in it from

a professional drugs counselor.

When informed about proper dosing

by Loop drug counselors, a group of young women decided to take much less of their strong ecstasy pills than they originally planned, according to an article by The Independent.

Overall, there were nothing but positive comments toward The Loop’s service by ravers, found The Independent after talking to various people. While some festivals remain hesitant to host the service and are sometimes forced to cancel it after disagreements with the local council, The Loop wrote that they are hoping after establishing the effectiveness of its service, there will be a point where it will be negligent not to have it.

Alexa Stoczko is a 2012 Pepperdine alumna and attends at least one big rave or festival a month, but she does not go for the drugs. Stoczko said she wanted to highlight the other aspects of raves, so she founded FestFashions. com, a blog dedicated to showcasing the fashion found at concerts, festivals and raves. Her first rave experience was at Beyond Wonderland in 2013.

“My experience wasn’t going there to do drugs,” Stoczko said. “Drugs were never a part of my life, and the party aspect of raves was never what drew me to them. That first rave opened my eyes — I love dancing and being around people. Here were all these people that liked the music I liked, and it wasn’t because it became pop culture.”

Her love for themes and themed parties inspired her to start her blog.

Stoczko said she loved how people at raves, and even festivals like Coachella, dressed differently from what they would normally wear. All photographs from festivals are ones she personally takes, and she also features upcoming festival lineups and rave clothing DIY tutorials on her blog.

“It's really cool how there’s this selfexpression in what you get to wear to raves,” Stoczko said. “That’s something I’ve always connected with.”

Stoczko said she had friends die because of the drug scene and other

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friends who became heavy into drug use, which resulted in her disconnecting from them.

“When I would go to an event and invite some of my friends they'd be like, 'Oh, can we do this and this?' and I would say, 'If the only reason you want to go is so you can be passed out in the corner on the floor, rolling, I don't want to go with you because that's not what's it about for me,'” Stoczko said. “But, I believe that as long as you're not hurting anyone, you can do whatever you want to do.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recently approved testing of MDMA in 2018 to see if, in conjunction with psychotherapy, the drug can help people overcome PTSD or other disorders.

While this indicates a possible transition in how people perceive drugs, the problem of there being no testing for clean drugs at U.S. raves and festivals still exists. Amnesty boxes exist at festivals like Coachella.

These are mailbox-like deposit boxes located at the security checkpoints which allow people to dispose of drugs and other contraband items so that police will not have to.

“In the U.S., they don’t do any testing,” Stoczko said. “All they have are amnesty boxes. And because there’s no test kits available readily at events, people get bad drugs. People are getting methamphetamines mixed into their pills and now they’re addicted.”

In countries like Australia, France and Spain, ravers can test their drugs, according to a 2018 study published by the US National Library of Medicine.

“They know it's a reality,” Stoczko said. “It's the same as how a 14-yearold can get alcohol. People are going to get their hands on whatever they want. If there's a way for them to do it

safer, it'll be better.”

Some measures have been taken to ensure the safety of festival-goers and ravers, such as the RAVE Act, which stands for Reducing Americans’ Vulnerability to Ecstasy. The bill, introduced in 2002 by Joe Biden, was intended to battle what was referred to as the “ecstasy epidemic” of the 2000s.

Even after its passage, the act has been criticized for its ineffectiveness in the illegal drug campaign, and even cited as one of the causes for the lack of drug safety in rave culture, according to an article by 6am.

Whitney recounted how some of these seemingly preventative measures, such as the RAVE Act, may actually detract from rave or festival atmospheres. When electronic duo Zed’s Dead performed at the House of Blues in Boston, an underage girl took an entire pill of ecstasy and also drank alcohol. Her heart stopped and she went into cardiac arrest, resulting in her death. Whitney knew her friends.

“After the event, we renamed it the House of Rules because the mayor of

Boston tried to ban EDM because of that incident,” Whitney said. “It didn’t work at all to be honest, because [Boston] has one of the biggest festival scenes.”

To those outside of rave culture, it can be easy to judge these music events as being drug-fueled sex fests, but for avid ravers like Stoczko, she said she hopes her experience and her blog allow people to see the other dimensions of the multi-faceted experience that encompasses raves.

“You can hang out with people where that's [drugs] all it is, but you can also hang out with people that are having a totally different experience,” Stoczko said. “I want to show people there's so much more to this community. I finally found people I really connected with that were so creative, still had jobs and lives, but had these moments where they could be totally free and embrace having fun.”

Then there are those individuals on the other side of the spectrum, like Whitney, who choose to partake in the drug culture, but not without first educating themselves.

“I know drugs are not good for my body, but I justify it because I say, 'I don't do it every day, I only do it on special occasions or when I go to a festival,'” Whitney said. “It doesn't make it any better! I'm not immune to having a bad trip or having something bad happen to me. I think just because I've seen a lot of bad things happen to other people, I know you don't need to overdo it.”

Still Stoczko says it's the responsibility of those who enjoy raves for the music and the community to change the stigma of the rave scene.

Stoczko said, “Changing the stigma is partially on us as individuals who sit there and don't talk about because of the stigma, but instead need to breach it and change people's minds.”

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THE IMPACT OF PRENATAL DRUG EXPOSURE ON MOTHERS AND BABIES

By Madeleine Carr

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“It cuts across all segments of society,” said Professor Barry Lester, director of the Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk and professor of psychiatry and human behavior and pediatrics at Brown University.

Prenatal substance use affects women of all regions, races and socioeconomic groups, Dr. Hendree Jones, executive director of University of North Carolina (UNC) Horizons Program and professor in the UNC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, reiterated.

While women who are not pregnant and all men need only to consider the effects that substances have on their bodies, expectant mothers have another consideration with every decision they make: How will this affect the baby?

Alcohol “It is absolutely critical not to drink any alcohol during pregnancy because there is no safe amount,” said Dr. Margaret Lynn Yonekura, OB-GYN and associate professor of clinical OB-GYN at both USC and UCLA Schools of Medicine.

While the rule of “no alcohol” during pregnancy may seem obvious, Yonekura said college-educated women, particularly Caucasians, are less likely to put aside drinking during their pregnancies.

She said this could be due to these women having children later in life, after graduating and starting careers, and picking up heavier drinking habits from the men they are working alongside.

This alcohol transmits through the placenta to the fetus, who cannot metabolize the alcohol at the same rate as the mother, Yonekura explained. This prenatal alcohol consumption can lead to fetal

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alcohol syndrome, which causes neurodevelopment issues impacting the child’s intelligence. It can also affect the development of facial features, such as upper lips and ears, reflecting the alcohol-impacted brain inside.

Fetal alcohol syndrome is a spectrum, Yonekura said. Some children may only show some signs, whereas others may be more heavily affected by their mothers’ alcohol consumption.

Yonekura said one of the most tragic cases of fetal alcohol syndrome that she witnessed was the child of two Harvard alumni and White House attorneys.

“I delivered a baby who, I could tell at birth, had fetal alcohol syndrome,” Yonekura said. “That's how bad it was. I said, ‘Did you drink any alcohol during pregnancy?’ and she said, 'Well, yeah, you know, I'm a professional woman.’ In order to be successful, she felt that she had to drink with the boys.

And she did. She drank at lunchtime, she drank before dinner, she drank during dinner.”

Jones said alcohol is one of the substances that, when used during pregnancy, can have some of the harshest effects on a baby.

Unfortunately, Jones said there are no medications available to treat alcohol addiction during a women's pregnancy. Naltrexone, a medicine used with non-pregnant patients, still has not been approved for prenatal use.

“Fetal alcohol syndrome is 100 percent preventable,” Yonekura said.

“It's the most common cause of mental retardation that is preventable.”

Nicotine and Tobacco Jones said another substance proven to have highly detrimental effects on fetuses is nicotine or tobacco, consumed through smoking cigarettes or vaping.

Mothers who smoke during pregnancy can have children with birth defects ranging from cleft lips to their

gastrointestinal organs developing outside of their body, Yonekura said.

Other effects include a higher chance of the baby being born prematurely or having a lower birth weight, Jones said.

“Most women don't think of smoking as causing birth defects,” Yonekura said. “They think it's a lifestyle choice.”

There is no way to tell the extent of the damage smoking will have on a fetus, Jones said.

“You can't just say, ‘Mom smoked 20 cigarettes a day, and therefore we are going to get outcome X,’” Jones said.

“It's incredibly complex, and it really is so individualized.”

Smoking during pregnancy can also be an indication of greater substance use, Yonekura said.

“Any person who smokes during pregnancy should be really questioned carefully because especially in California, so few women smoke,” Yonekura said. “With persistent smoking during pregnancy, you’ve got to ask them about polysubstance abuse, especially alcohol. Eighty percent of alcoholics smoke and 30 percent of smokers are alcoholics.”

Prescription Medications Certain medications can also have adverse effects on developing babies. These medications include antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac or Zoloft, Lester said.

“It's a huge issue as to what a mom does when she gets pregnant and she's on an SSRI because on the one hand, she's worried about the potential impact [on the baby],” Lester said.

“On the other hand, if she's off the SSRI, she's going to get depressed — being depressed results in hormonal changes that

can also affect the fetus. So you're kind of damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”

Jones said an important thought to consider in these situations is absolute risk versus relative risk. For example, a medication may advertise that it can cause a four-fold increased risk of heart defects in babies. However, that statistic may mean it only causes the defect in one infant out of 100,000.

“Sometimes, it might be we know that there's a risk of this medication, but we know that it's also a predictable risk,” Jones said. “We’d rather have mom be pain-free and be comfortable and be functional. That's going to be greater benefit long-term to mom and baby.”

Lester agreed.

“You want to be the best mom that you can and taking care of yourself, I think, is an important part of that,” Lester said.

Marijuana Marijuana can harm an infant’s neurodevelopment when used during pregnancy, Yonekura said. The drug influences the connections formed between synapses in an infant’s brain.

Yonekura said researchers are finding that now, more women are using higher doses of marijuana, more frequently, during pregnancy.

“I’ve had patients say, ‘Well, it's natural,’” Yonekura said. “And I said, ‘What do you mean it's natural?’ ‘Well, it grows in the ground.’ OK. It's natural, but it doesn't mean it's safe.”

The THC content of marijuana, the active ingredient in the drug, was around two percent in the 1970s, Yonekura said.

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With plant hybridization, most marijuana used now in the U.S. has THC percentages of over 25 percent with minimal CBD — another compound in marijuana that provides alleviation without a high — present to counteract the effects of THC. “In Holland, they consider a policy of over 15 percent [THC] as a hard drug, and they don't allow it,” Yonekura said.

“It is not legal in Holland. [Marijuana] on our streets is over 25 percent. So we've got hard drugs on the street.”

This means that when women are consuming marijuana during pregnancy, they are using a highly potent form of the drug, whether they realize it or not.

“A lot of people think, ‘Well, it's legal. I can use it,’” Yonekura said.

“Well, yes, you can use it. It is legal, but doesn't mean it's safe during pregnancy.

Alcohol is legal — doesn't mean it's safe during pregnancy. Cigarettes are legal — doesn't mean it's safe to smoke indiscriminately during pregnancy.”

Opioids About every 15 minutes, a baby is born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), or born dependent on opioids, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

When a woman takes opioids while pregnant, the drug can transmit through the placenta, making the baby dependent on the drug as well, according to the March of Dimes, a not-for-profit fighting for the health of moms and babies. If a mother stops using opioids mid-pregnancy, she risks miscarriage or other harm befalling her infant.

Babies born from opioid-using mothers can experience NAS, a withdrawal reaction to narcotic drug exposure with symptoms including low birth weight and shaking.

Doctors can prescribe pregnant mothers methadone or buprenorphine, opioids that satisfy the mother and baby’s need for an opiate without the

effects of feeling high, according to The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment.

“If a mom has been using opiates illicitly like heroin, Vicodin, Oxycontin — something like that — the safest thing for her to do is to come into treatment and receive medicationassisted treatment,” Jones said.

Jones said pregnant women dealing with an opioid addiction should also receive behavioral support, which, as she has seen, has doubled quit rates.

If a baby experiences withdrawal after birth, one of the best things medical providers can do is keep the baby close to his or her mother, Jones said. Skinto-skin contact and breastfeeding — if the mother’s HIV-negative — results in calmer babies.

“Because [the babies are] getting the drug through the breast milk, their symptoms will be a lot less,” Yonekura said. “Some may need some additional medication, but they're not gonna be as bad as [they would] if you took them to the nursery away from the mother and let them go through withdrawal, in which case they're just miserable, and it's hard to watch them.”

Lester and Jones emphasized that babies born with NAS are not addicted to opioids, but are physically dependent on them.

“There's a very important distinction between physiological dependency and addiction,” Lester said. “Addiction is a psychological phenomenon. It's not physiological. It's strictly psychological.”

Many individuals and articles, like the Oct. 9, 2017 article by NBC, titled “Born Addicted: the Number of Opioid-Addicted Babies is Soaring,” mistakenly refer to these infants as “born addicted.”

“When people talk about babies being born addicted, that's completely wrong because the baby can't be addicted because it's psychological,” Lester said. “They can be physiologically dependent. The only drug that really causes physiological dependency are the opioids.”

Laws Surrounding Prenatal Drug Exposure Each state handles cases of prenatal drug use differently. Tennessee is the only state that considers drug use while pregnant as child abuse, according to the American Pregnancy Association.

Others, like Rhode Island, have developed a family treatment drug court to handle these cases, Lester said.

“We develop a treatment plan for the mom, hand it to the judge and the judge gives a sentence,” Lester said.

“Essentially it's treatment. If you could follow treatments and you'd have your kid, you keep your kid unless you violate your treatments. If you don't have your kid and you complete the treatment, then you work toward reunification and you get your kid back.”

Many women are afraid of getting the necessary help they need because they do not trust the healthcare system to help them or allow them to keep their babies, Lester said.

“They stay away from the healthcare system, which is the last thing in the world you want,” Lester said.

“Developing a trusting, nonjudgmental relationship with this population is what's absolutely critical.”

Facing the Stigma of Substance Use In addition to the battle these pregnant women face against their addictions, these mothers-to-be — particularly those addicted to opioids — face another battle against the public’s judgmental eye.

Lester said this problem has been around since the cocaine “epidemic” of the 1980s. Society looked down on mothers using cocaine during pregnancy, seeing it as a selfish act rather than one motivated by the disease of addiction. “[Members of society] were so desperate to prove that these kids [were] going to be damaged,

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and they were so anxious to go after the moms,” Lester said.

However, Lester said a study he was a part of proved cocaine had minimal effects on the babies and began to alter the public’s opinion.

Jones said pregnant women managing substance addiction face stigmas from others, as well as selfimposed judgments.

“It's beyond stigma,” Jones said.

“It's a stigma, plus discrimination, plus prejudice that our women feel.”

This stigma is particularly harsh for these pregnant women, Jones said.

“If you're a male, you're looked down upon, but you're often given an excuse — ‘Oh well, this is boys being boys,’ ” Jones said. “Whereas if you're a female, then there's sort of a double stigma. I think for our women who then become pregnant, it's a triple threat to stigma and discrimination and prejudice. Women face discrimination in all sectors — from their family, from their friends, from their significant others, from the healthcare system, from the legal system.”

Jones emphasized this stigma is why getting help is so important for those with drug addictions, especially women who are pregnant.

“There really isn't a place that's a safe harbor, other than places that provide trauma-informed care and that understand substance use disorders are an illness, and it's an illness for which we have good treatments and that recovery can happen,” Jones said.

“Women, when they're given tools to thrive to their best potential, can have amazing recoveries and can do really, really well.”

Lester said with the increase in prescription pain medication addictions, more women of higher social classes are managing opioid addictions.

“Part of the reason that this issue has become such a hot button is because all of

a sudden, it's a middleclass issue,” Lester said. “It's not just the poor people we’re talking about, it's now a middle-class issue, or as we like to say, it's become ‘gentrified.’ ” Jones also mentioned this expansive nature of substance addiction.

“Substance use disorders know no bounds of race, ethnicity, geography [or] socioeconomic status,” Jones said.

“In some ways, it's often women that have the most means and women that have the fewest means that tend to suffer the most because it's incredibly isolating and sometimes hard to find services if you're on the two extremes of our socioeconomic status.”

This can be problematic because these upper-class women may not receive the help they need in dealing with their addictions, Jones said.

“Women who are of lower socioeconomic status tend to be more quickly identified or identified at all for having a substance use disorder,” Jones said. “A lot of times I'll hear of women that come in for labor and delivery postpartum [and] they're not even tested for substances because they're ‘private pay patients.’ So we actually miss opportunities to be able to intervene and provide care and support to that mother [and] child.”

Environment’s Impact on Babies While it may be easy to assume an infant’s prenatal exposure to drugs determines their future learning abilities or the probability of their own drug use, their environment often plays a larger role, Jones said.

“It would be very simple and easy for people to say, ‘Prenatal drug exposure equals a baby [who's] going to become an initiate of substance use themselves,’” Jones said. “But I think we need to be much more thoughtful and understand what is really happening in the home, because I think that if we look more carefully at those factors,

we're going to find factors that do a better job of explaining the variance and not just the substance exposure prenatally itself.”

Lester agreed.

“Whether or not those problems develop later on has a tremendous amount to do with the postnatal caregiving environment,” Lester said. “So if you put a fragile baby in an environment of stress, adversity, poverty [and] inadequate parenting, where the postnatal environment is really detrimental, it's really the combination of the drug and the environment that does the kid in.”

Prenatal drug exposure does not determine a child’s future development, Lester said.

“If you put that same kid in a good environment, then there's every reason to believe that the kid's going to develop normally,” Lester said.

Yonekura emphasized that pregnant women managing substance addictions have often dealt with hardships such as sexual abuse. Their drug use functions as a form of self-medication against flashbacks and nightmares.

“It's important not to condemn these women because the vast majority of them in my experience have had terrible trauma in their lives,” Yonekura said. “Most of these women are real survivors.”

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CRACKING MYTHS

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COCAINE Crack cocaine and powder cocaine are ultimately the same drug ­ — the difference is in the user. Sentencing disparities have created decades of harm for historically marginalized communities.

Here's the truth.

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By Araceli Crescencio Nixon's War on Drugs began 48 years ago.

“America's public enemy No. 1 in the United States is drug abuse,” President Nixon said in a June 17, 1971 press conference. “In order to fight and defeat this enemy, it is necessary to wage a new, all-out offensive.”

Nixon allocated federal resources to end the import, manufacture, sale and use of illegal drugs. However, after almost five decades and trillions of dollars, the War on Drugs has been called a failure by politicians on both sides of the political spectrum.

Nationwide, reports show drug laws have produced incarceration rates that have disproportionately impacted communities of color.

Permanent damage has been done to communities that bear the impact of unjust drug laws that criminalize substances based on race.

“I think the drug war causes more harm than the drugs themselves, which is a damning thing to say, given how serious some of these drugs are,” Sanho Tree, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and director of the Drug Policy Project, said. “The criminalization of drugs

doesn't help people who are addicted to drugs. It perpetuates the black market that empowers criminal organizations.”

In 2015, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reported that illicit drug use is increasing in the United States. Earlier this year, NIDA found that drug overdose death rates have nearly quadrupled from 1999 to 2017. A total of 70,237 people died of drug overdose in 2017.

“When you think about marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines — these drugs are minimally processed agricultural and technical commodities that cost pennies per dose to manufacture,” Tree said. “There's nothing exotic about these substances or plant products. They're very easy to produce, and there's no reason why they should be worth this much money. But it's our policies of drug prohibition that build a risk premium.”

However, at one point in our nation’s history, drug prohibition was not the norm, said Armando Gudiño, California policy manager at the Drug Policy Alliance’s Los Angeles office.

“In the 1800s, in the United States, and most parts of the world for that matter, drugs — particularly the illicit drugs that have driven the War on Drugs — were all legitimate over-the-counter accessible products that you and I could purchase at a pharmacy,” Gudiño said.

The first drug laws in our nation were municipally established in the 1870s in San Francisco. Gudiño said these laws came during an economic recession

where Chinese immigrants had finished building the transcontinental railroad and there was a heightened competition for jobs. Politicians criminalized opium with the purpose of targeting men who they saw as a threat in the labor force.

“Throughout the history of the United States, drug laws were developed with the sole purpose of persecuting, arresting and subsequently incarcerating and/or deporting men of color,” Gudiño said.

Alcohol and tobacco cause more deaths than drugs. Excessive alcohol use led to approximately 88,000 deaths more than the 70,237 drug overdose deaths in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, tobacco and alcohol are not typically considered a major problem in the U.S. “Drug laws are rooted in racism in the sense that drugs were always taught to be some other culture's problems,” Tree said. “While the dominant culture always accepts its own favorite drugs — alcohol and tobacco, which are by far the biggest killers throughout the history of the U.S.” Tale of Disparity Federal law enforcement efforts dramatically increased during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. His “tough-on-crime” approach led to “zero tolerance” programs that emphasized punitive measures against drug users.

One law that disproportionately affected minority communities and significantly changed the United States criminal system is the AntiDrug Abuse Act of 1986, signed by Reagan.

“The first major law that was relevant was the 1986 law, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act,” said Joel Fetzer, Political Science professor at Pepperdine University. “[Congress] set out

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sentencing guidelines that were relatively punitive instead of rehabilitative.

The idea is that anyone who's doing crack cocaine, they're just an evil person.

There's no way to make them good people again. So you just sort of throw them in jail, as many as possible, for as long as possible.”

The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 was the first federal criminal law to distinguish crack cocaine and powder cocaine by establishing a 100-to-1 weight ratio and imposing “mandatory minimum” penalties for the possession of the drug.

Essentially, for one ounce of crack cocaine, 100 ounces of powder cocaine are needed to receive the same punishment.

“These different sentencing laws made it relatively difficult for judges to exercise discretion to say ‘well there are special circumstances here and so maybe this person doesn't need as long a time in jail,’” Fetzer said.

Tree said he personally witnessed how mandatory minimums increased prison populations and made it difficult for judges to have leniency.

“I know many judges who literally cried on the bench as they were forced to sentence people to extremely harsh sentences,” Tree said. “There was nothing they could do to get out of it.”

Same Drug, Unequal Punishment During the 1980s, there were several years of “crack hysteria”

reporting, Tree said. “[The media] cherry-picked a lot of stories and sensationalized them,” Tree said. “I was in college at the time and remember these stories vividly.”

Stories of people with prestigious jobs that took a hit of crack and two weeks later had ruined their lives were common, he said.

“As a result, people thought that crack cocaine was the end of all drugs, when in fact, given what's out there in the market today, it's really not as deadly,” Tree said. “Not to say it's a good drug, but crack and powder cocaine are essentially the same chemical.”

During this time, politicians tried to rationalize the 100-to-1 ratio sentencing disparity through a myth that crack cocaine was stronger than powder cocaine, said Michael Folkerts, professor of Psychology at Pepperdine University.

“There was a myth when I was growing up in the '80s that crack cocaine was more addictive than powder cocaine,” Folkerts said.

“Crack cocaine and powder cocaine are the same thing. What makes them different is how they're prepared.”

Crack is made by adding baking soda and water to cocaine hydrocholoride, a solution extracted from the leaves of plants including coca, and heating it, Folkerts said.

“When the mixture dries, instead of forming a powder, it formed chunks of dried hardened mixture,” Folkerts said. “It's often called rock cocaine because it looks like little, irregularly shaped rocks. It's called

crack because of the popping sounds produced when the chunks are heated.”

Throughout Reagan’s presidency, rates of incarceration grew significantly — primarily for African Americans. There are similar rates of use between Blacks and Whites, but the imprisonment rate of African Americans for drug charges is almost six times that of Whites, according to the NAACP. “I would say clearly that racism is involved throughout our entire system. We would be naive to believe that that's not the case,” Folkerts said. “There is a historical, systemic relationship with our country and White supremacy.

That has affected the way we view each other, the laws that are created and the way we use science explicitly and implicitly.”

In 1914 The New York Times published an article with the headline: “NEGRO COCAINE 'FIENDS' ARE A NEW SOUTHERN MENACE.” The article linked cocaine use to Black males, and called them murderous and impervious to bullets.

“One of the reasons that southern sheriffs switched from using a US .32-caliber bullet to a US .35-caliber bullet was that it was thought that a .32-caliber bullet could not stop at a ‘cocaine-crazed Negro,’” Tree said.

The history of drug laws in the United States are visibly unjust and have resulted in unequal outcomes across racial groups.

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“It clearly shows that in the early 1900s, when drug laws were beginning to form in our country, there was a clear racial bias and sensational reporting,” Folkerts said. “It shows laws weren’t based on pharmacology, but more on racial discrimination in the early 1900s.”

For multiple years, the United States has had the highest incarceration rate in the world.

A 2018 report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) showed nearly 2.2 million adults were imprisoned in the United States at the end of 2016.

About 1.5 million were held in federal and state prisons, while nearly 741,000 were held in local jails. “[Politicians] criminalized an entire generation of predominantly Black people, because they considered the inner city was completely out of control, almost to what it was like a hundred years prior when they were slaves,” Gudiño said.

Statistics from the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reveal that Whites are more likely to use cocaine and crack in their lifetime compared to Blacks and Hispanics.

However, government data in 2016 shows African-Americans and Hispanics are still prosecuted more than their White counterparts for nearly every type of drug crime.

“Powder cocaine was too expensive to have in communities of color,” Gudiño said. “Powder cocaine was predominantly a White man's drug, so they created a 100-to-1 disparity.

[Politicians] knew that this was something that was going to specifically affect communities and color, and Black communities in particular.”

force was racism. Upper-class, White individuals were using powder cocaine more than Blacks were using crack cocaine, but there was always a sentencing disparity.”

Fetzer personally witnessed the difference between how powder cocaine and crack cocaine were criminalized in society.

“I remember in the '80s, I worked in a law firm and it was quite common among lawyers to use powder,” Fetzer said. “Obviously, they’re corporate

The only difference between these drugs is who uses them.

lawyers making a lot of money. They could afford it. You’d have people that would use powder cocaine to stay up late to work on contracts and legal work, which is a little troubling right?

These were supposed to be people who were enforcing the law, doing the right thing, and instead they're flagrantly violating the law simply because they can.”

Before the War on Drugs started, the prison population in the U.S. was around 200,000. Since then, the prison population in the nation has increased 900 percent, according to the BJS. Progress in our criminal justice system has been slow. In 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Grappling with Reality Fair Sentencing Act that reduced the disparity in sentencing between crack When sophomore Pepperdine stu- cocaine from a 100-to-1 ratio to an 18dent Sarah Pechtl first learned about to-1 ratio, and eliminated five-year the sentencing disparity between minimum sentencing laws. crack and powder cocaine in her “Scientifically, we would argue that Social Action and Justice seminar, she the ratio between crack and powder said she was shocked. should be exactly equal since it's the “I couldn’t believe it when I same drug, yet the law has a hard time heard it,” Pechtl said. “The driving changing,” Folkerts said.

Like many, Pechtl said the slow changes to the criminal justice system are frustrating.

“The only difference between these drugs is who uses them,” Pechtl said.

“I feel like this 100 percent should be 1-to-1 because this is no longer on basis of the drug itself, but on the community using it.”

In 2014, the California Fair Sentencing Act (SB 1010) was passed, making crack and powder cocaine crimes subject to equal punishments.

Gudiño worked on passing this legislation with the Drug Policy Alliance, the American Civil Liberties Union and several others.

“What we did with our bill at the time is that we said we want an equal playing field,” Gudiño said.

“If you cannot apply the law in a fair and equitable manner, then we must change the law. To ensure that by virtue of the law itself, everyone is treated equally.”

The harm with the War on Drugs imposed on historically disenfranchised communities is irreparable, Fetzer said.

“I mean think about the children of African-Americans that were not born because African-American men were in jail,” Fetzer said. “They can't be born. You can't go back.”

If we want to grapple with the reality of our criminal justice system, Gudiño said, we have to acknowledge that the War on Drugs has been one of the most disastrous and failed policies in the history of American public policy.

There isn’t a cure all that would fix our drug laws perfectly, Folkerts said. But he believes that moving on requires a serious discussion about what drugs are truly doing, the facts and what these drugs are not doing.

“It’s only going to work when we have a team effort — it's not going to be one person who has the magic potion to make us all get better,” Folkerts said. “So are we ready to have a national discussion? Are we ready to have to re-educate ourselves?”

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THE STERILE SOLUTION: Clean Needle Exchanges For Heroin Users

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By Nicole Spafford Photos by Milan Loiacono Channa Steinmetz contributed to the reporting and writing of this story.

In the wake of a national opioid crisis that kills 130 Americans every day, a Los Angeles non-profit is taking a controversial approach toward treating addiction.

At its Skid Row location, Homeless Health Care Los Angeles (HHCLA) operates a syringe needle exchange program to reduce the rate of HIV and other syringe-borne infections in intravenous drug users.

“We serve a population that nobody else wants to serve,” David Murillo, HHCLA Director of Client Engagement, said. “Some people call it enabling, and that we shouldn’t be here, but people are going to inject no matter what. We can either give them clean needles, or they can find them on the street.”

The syringe exchange program opens its doors at 8:30 a.m., seven days a week. Monday through Sunday. Clients file in with their old needles, exchange them for clean ones and are given additional sterile materials.

“We give them clean cookers, alcohol swabs, cotton — we give everything so that intravenous drug users can inject safely,” Murillo said.

Needle Exchange Programs While the first phase of the opioid epidemic did not begin until the 1990s, the first needle exchange programs arose a decade earlier in Europe as a way to discourage needle sharing and prevent the spread of blood-transmitted infections, according to The Washington Post.

Since their beginnings, needleexchange programs have drawn the ire of opponents who argue that the services facilitate drug use, but proponents like Murillo say

they are saving lives.

“First of all, by giving them clean needles, we’re going to stop the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C," Murillo said. "Second, when they walk in, they’re walking into a safe place.

Let’s say they’re done, they’re tired, they wanna quit using: they can meet with one of our case managers and get right into treatment.”

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lt. Thomas Giandomenico said he saw the benefits of needle exchange programs during his time in Amsterdam serving in the military.

“I saw the effects of the safe-needle injection sites, places where people could come and safely get high, unfortunately, but they can dispose of their needles correctly,” Giandomenico said. “I know the mainstream would say that we’re enabling them to get high, but we’re also reducing the chance of spreading diseases.”

To Giandomenico, it comes down to the fact that addicts are going to use the drugs, regardless of whether there are safe conditions available.

“If they’re gonna get high, they’re gonna get high no matter what it takes,” Giandomenico said. “I’d rather put them in a safe area to get them high and to make sure they’re doing it correctly and all the paraphernalia is disposed of properly.”

After treating various drugrelated medical complications in his 16-year career as a paramedic, Robert Sales, captain with LA County Fire Department, said he believes needle exchanges are necessary.

“I don't think it's realistic for us to, you know, pretend like people aren't going to use if they already use,” Sales said. “They are going to use until they’re ready to get help — that is going to happen. So if we can reduce transmission of diseases, let's do that.”

Pepperdine Psychology Professor

Michael Folkerts said needle exchanges also give users a chance to form a relationship with the people who work there, which can be very beneficial.

"Through the clean needle exchanges, users are given the possibility to form a relationship with somebody," Folkerts said. "That person can then suggest counseling to them."

Most needle exchanges offer counseling and treatment services, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Needle Exchange Programs and Crime Heavy opioid users commit crimes significantly more frequently than moderate opioid users and non-opioid users, according to a study on the relationship between illicit drug use and crime. During periods of heavy use or addiction, users commit more crimes to pay for their addictions.

“Basically, [people who are addicted to opioids] feel terrible when they start to come down, so they do whatever they can do to get their next high,” Giandomenico said. “There’s petty theft, stealing, there’s all kinds of crime that we know are directly affecting our society because of the opioids.”

Murillo echoed this sentiment.

“When someone goes and steals from their mom or their wife, it's because they’re just so sick that they have to do it just to feel normal, to get out of those withdrawal symptoms,” Murillo said.

“It’s not that they’re doing it just because they want to get high.”

Needle exchange programs keep withdrawal symptoms at bay, which may in turn keep users from committing crime, according to a report by the Harm Reduction Coalition.

“As far as a regular drugbyuser, the Hansen Photos Shannon

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times that you will steal is when you’re going into those withdrawals," Murillo said. "But not if there’s buprenorphine and methadone, and Medi-Cal is starting to pay for these programs. That might be a start on how the crime rate can be lowered."

Buprenorphine and methadone are medications that can help people reduce or quit their use of opiates, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Mixing Drugs and Dosage Sixty-five percent of drug overdose deaths in the United States are opioid-related, and 20 percent of these overdoses result from fentanyl, according to the latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid," Murillo said. "It is being sold out in the street as what’s called “china white."

Fentanyl is 100 times stronger than heroin, so what’s happening is these people think they’re getting regular heroin, and they use the same amount as they would if it was regular heroin.

Because of the potency of fentanyl, they’re overdosing.”

Dose matters, Folkerts emphasized.

Issues arise when inexperienced users take heroin at the same dosage as an experienced user.

"Part of the misinformation is the phrase, 'heroin kills.' Well, many things taken at a very high dosage kill," Folkerts said. "When a naive user takes a drug as they're seeing regular users take it, that user hasn't built up the same tolerance.

That is where we may see adverse reactions or even death."

With the rise in opioid-related deaths has come an increase in access to opioid antagonists such as naloxone, its brand name Narcan, which block the effects of the opioid, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

“We have actually 66 deployments of Narcan already," Giandomenico said.

“Where 66 times, our officers came up on somebody who was having an opioid overdose and had to save them.”

Due to fentanyl's high potency, fentanyl overdoses require higher doses of opioid antagonists such as Narcan to counteract the effects, which poses a challenge for first responders, Sales said.

“In that scenario you would need multiple amps,” Sales said. “You would need probably four to five doses and that's pretty much all we carry.”

To combat the fentanyl problem, Murillo said the syringe-exchange program is now giving clients fentanyltesting strips.

“Our clients can test their heroin before they use it," Murillo said. "If they test it and it does come up positive, that’ll make them aware to not use as much as they would have if it was just regular heroin."

In the event that an overdose still occurs, Murillo said the needleexchange program is also offering all of their clients a naloxone kit.

“All our clients who come in here, we train them on how to use naloxone, just in case somebody they’re with, or maybe even themselves, overdoses,” Murillo said.

Along with fentanyl, users may be mixing with other drugs such as alcohol and cocaine, which is still problematic. A therapist and hypnotherapist at Seasons rehabilitation center in Malibu, Nancy Irwin, said a majority of her patients suffer with polysubstance abuse, or the abuse of multiple drugs.

"It is really rare they are just on heroin," Irwin said. "Unfortunately, they usually use with alcohol — depressants

and narcotics do not go well together. A narcotic is going to slow the heartbeat to a degree, slow the breathing. So if you have another depressant in combination with that, it can easily lead to a heart attack or you just stop breathing."

Solutions Rooted in Rehabilitation Irwin said her patients typically have severe trauma from their past that needs to be addressed while treating their drug addiction.

"We find about 95 percent of our patients have trauma in the background," Irwin said. "That could be sexual abuse, physical abuse, severe neglect, bullying. People have deep-seeded negative beliefs they need to continuously escape from and heroin provides that escape. We work to plug in healthy, empowering beliefs."

Although, not all users are given the opportunity to receive rehab care.

The traditional response to the illegal use and

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possession of opiates in the U.S. is incarceration. The majority of addicted offenders will ultimately return to prison after being released, according to a study published by the Inquires Journal.

“I mean you're going back to the war on drugs. They didn't work,” Sales said.

“You realize our incarceration rates are higher in America per capita than they are in virtually every other country in the world. But yet we still have historically high crime rates.”

Law enforcement officials acknowledge that the criminal justice system’s traditional emphasis on incarceration does not fit the needs of many offenders who have a history of drug addiction and have been pushing toward more rehabilitative methods of punishment, Giandomenico said.

“We work with the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Public Health to come up with kind of an outpatient system in custody, to where they can get help for their issue as op-

posed to spending time incarcerated,” Giandomenico said.

Research over the past 20 years has reported the beneficial impact of these restorative alternatives. According to one study, restorative treatment was 1.8 times better in reducing drug use than traditional incarceration, and offenders participating in community-based programs after getting out of jail were seven times more likely to be drug free and three times less likely to be arrested for criminal behavior than those not receiving treatment.

While its Skid Row location functions primarily as a needle exchange, HHCLA also offers a plethora of other rehabilitative treatment options.

“On Tuesdays, we have a MedicaidAssisted treatment program here, so people who want to decrease their use of heroin or opiates can come here and are seen by a doctor and then the doctor will prescribe Subutex, which is buprenorphine,” Murillo said.

Every Wednesday, HHCLA offers a safe-injection group, a women’s group, computer access for clients and reducedfee DMV vouchers, Murillo said.

“Thursday we have what is called “wound care,” so sometimes clients inject and it gets infected, and they develop abscesses," Murillo said. "We have a doctor who will come in and drain those abscess for them."

They also have acupuncture, an art group and a harm-reduction group on Thursdays, Murillo said.

A client engagement specialist is available Monday through Sunday in case an individual wants to get into treatment, Murillo said.

Potential Drawbacks There are numerous reasons why a needle-exchange program may not soon come to Malibu, Sales said.

One is that first responders do not often respond to opioid overdoses in Malibu, as Sales said the number of incidents is relatively low, Another is that they have the potential to attract a drug addicted crowd, Sales said.

“You have to be really careful with that," Sales said. "If you have a needleexchange program, are you attracting a drug addicted crowd? Is that what you want here in Malibu? We have 120 rehabs.”

In spite of the criticism HHCLA has been met with, Murillo said needle exchanges are making a positive difference in the lives of people who struggle with the disease of addiction.

“Needle exchanges are stopping the spread of diseases and also saving lives by distributing naloxone to clients, and taking people into treatment,” Murillo said.

If true, these resources could be critical going forward. Giandomenico said the opioid epidemic is not hitting Los Angeles as hard as it has hit the rest of the country.

“Unlike the East Coast where you're seeing entire cities decimated, I think L.A. is on top of it, and we're working to rectify any problems,” Giandomenico said.

But is only a matter of time until the epidemic hits Los Angeles, he said.

“And when it does," Giandomenico added. "We’ll be ready."

Photos by Shannon Hansen

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39 43 Photo Courtesy of Michae Murrie 43-46Emily.indd 1

Photo by Milan Loiacono Modeled by Isabel Klein 3/19/19 10:28 PM

By Madison Nichols

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Where the Drugs Started It started out as a “chill party” with good music, good friends and good vibes, Emily said. After finishing another late night at the music studio where she worked, Emily was eager to jump on the downtown L train and attend a get together at a friend's apartment. It had been a long week for Emily and her friends. Finding a way to take a break from it all was essential.

But finding a way to escape their work mode and mood was difficult, especially in a city like New York.

“

On the inside I just wanted to scream and cry, because I was so scared and confused about my life and what I wanted.

“

Nineteen-year-old Emily Taylor* enjoyed her childhood in Malibu: learning how to ride a wave before a bike, consuming the freshest fruits from her at-home garden and all while being surrounded by one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world.

But when the opportunity came around to leave “the Bu,” Emily decided to leave this so-called “perfect life” in search for something new.

“I wanted more,” Emily said. “I wanted to experience life outside the bubble and learn what it’s like to really be on your own.”

In an effort to see the world beyond the “27 miles of scenic beauty,” Emily decided to leave behind her flip flops and follow her heart across the country to a city that never sleeps. She was ready, or so she thought.

“I thought I was never going to come back,” Emily said. “I loved the New York image — the fashion, the city, the culture, everything. I always saw New York as this place that I could grow up and become who I was meant to become, if that makes sense.”

She did grow up, but not in the way she expected.

“It’s a work-hard, play-hard community,” Emily said. “It’s so hard to get your mind off of work, and that’s where the alcohol and drugs come into play.”

The first drug Emily used was cocaine. From then on, the list expanded to MDMA (also known as Ecstasy or “Molly”), prescription pills, acid, marijuana and alcohol. Emily never tried heroin, as far as she knows, but she has experimented with laced drugs at the parties she attended.

“Anything can be laced, you just need to know who the supplier is, and then you would know if the drugs are good or bad,” Emily said.

Emily described her first experience with drugs as a normal night. A re-run episode of “The Walking Dead” was playing on the TV, leftover Chipotle and Chinese boxes were on the table and Emily was showing her friend a funny meme she found earlier that day.

A friend walked into the apartment and proposed that everyone do a line of cocaine. Emily said she did not feel any peer pressure or obligation to engage.

“I just did it,” Emily said. “I don't know exactly why I chose that night, but I do remember that I just wanted to feel 44

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relieved. On the outside I was putting Emily said that before she and to school and maintaining her city-girl on a show for everyone, but on the her friend ever got high, they would social life was a difficult task for Emily. inside I just wanted to scream and cry usually become intoxicated first.

In order to stay alive in the city, Emily because I was so scared and confused In the midst of it all, Emily said she sought only one way to keep up. about my life and what I wanted.” never knew why she felt the need to Emily’s use of drugs and alcohol There are a number of reasons be intoxicated. However, now looking were originally only for “special why someone starts using drugs circumstances.” However, she soon and/or alcohol. Alberta Health, an found herself in these “circumstances” Alberta government-run resource for almost every day. health information and tools, cites the “Before I knew it, I was out of following as why, particularly young control,” Emily said. “You get this Fit in with friends people, may fall down this path: → feeling where everything, your whole or certain groups.

Young people body, is numb and enjoy trying you find that it is so new things and much easier to go taking risks, through your day according to with this feeling.”

Be social and Feel good.

Alberta Health.

have fun.

Because of the

Seem more grown up.

Rebel against parents.

Get rid of symptoms of mental health issues such as ADHD or depression.

curiosity that is associated with knowing what it feels like to be drunk, high, fully relaxed or completely in another world, experimenting with these substances is a risk they may be willing to take.

Before she began her drug-use journey, Emily said she always was against them. Having a maternal aunt who was a diagnosed heroin addict, Emily was well aware of the dangers and the effects that drugs have on the body. But her decision to use did not start as an attempt to cause damage to her own body, nor did it come out of an attempt to see what it felt like.

Her decision to start using and drinking was simple.

“Everybody was doing it,” Emily said. “I didn’t think it could be that bad because almost everybody I was around did these things on the daily, and they seemed fine.”

39 45 Photo Courtesy of Michae Murrie 43-46Emily.indd 3

Forget about physical or sexual abuse.

Escape problems.

Emily’s drinking schedule consisted of “two shots of vodka in the morning, a few at work and usually one too many at night.”

As for the drugs, Emily’s usage was sporadic and unplanned.

“I just did it whenever I felt like I needed that something, that feeling,” Emily said.

Ease feelings of insecurity.

back, Emily said she knows exactly Addiction vs. Coping why.

“Being drunk made it easier to get Emily and her friends all had high because I didn't feel bad about it,” different and personal reasons for Emily said. “I couldn't feel bad. I was getting to “that feeling.” drunk, so I just did it.”

“Some of us were addicted, for sure, but most of us just used it as a coping Keeping Up in a City That Does Not mechanism,” Emily said. “There is a Stop difference.”

“The difference [between user and After living in New York for six addict] is in the number of diagnostic months, Emily said she felt like she had criteria as per the Diagnostic and fully adapted to the concrete jungle. Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Working at a recording studio, going (DSM) as published by the American

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Psychiatric Association and used by physicians and the court system alike,” according to the Foundations Recovery Network's Dual Diagnosis website.

Drug abuse and drug addiction are categorized by various behaviors and experiences. Although abuse can lead to addiction, the symptoms tied to abuse versus addiction are different, according to the Foundations Recovery Network: Drug Abuse Legal problems caused by drug abuse or behaviors under the influence.

Physical harm to others caused by the individual’s use of drugs and/ or his or her behaviors under the influence.

Inability to do what is necessary at home, at school, at work or to manage responsibilities in general.

Ongoing use of drugs despite continued problems in these and other areas caused by drug abuse.

Drug Addiction The onset of withdrawal symptoms (physical and psychological) when without the drug.

Using larger and larger amounts of the drug of choice in order to achieve the same results experienced initially.

Less interest in old hobbies and interests or career/school pursuits.

Withdrawing from friends and family.

Multiple attempts to cut down or stop drug use without success.

The first sign of drug addiction is one's inability to stop using, according to the Foundations Recovery Network.

An addict is unable to stay away from the preferred drug or substance, even if there is a clear desire to stop using. Meanwhile, the website states that a drug and/or alcohol abuser may experience similar withdrawal symptoms as the drug addict. However, drug and/or alcohol abusers are able to stop their use without the same urgency to use again.

While suffering in an abusive relationship, along with balancing schoolwork and her job in an industry where they create songs about drugs and alcohol, Emily said she believes drugs and alcohol were how she got through the day. She was prescribed medication by a doctor for her anxiety and depression. However, these were not the kind of drugs she wanted.

Emily said she often found her body in desperate need of cocaine and/ or Molly, especially after a long night at the studio or an argument with her boyfriend. In order to bypass the time between when she wanted the drugs to the time she could get her hands on them, Emily said she used alcohol to make herself feel numb enough to forget why she wanted the drugs in the first place.

“I knew if I was just removed from the situation I was in, I would be fine,” Emily said. “I was around very toxic people and a very toxic environment, and I just wanted out.”

Emily said community is a major factor in one’s decision to engage with drugs and alcohol, as it certainly was for her.

“We were all enablers and we were all unhappy,” Emily said. “We all just wanted to feel better.”

One of Emily's coworkers at the recording studio noticed Emily's altered behavior and decided to take action by instituting an intervention. Emily said because this coworker was not part of Emily's close circle of friends, she was able to provide an external perspective that showed Emily there was a bigger problem at stake.

“They knew the path I was going down and didn’t want to see me do any more harm to myself than I already had,” Emily said.

After the intervention, Emily said she knew that she needed to take a second look in the mirror and really question why she was doing what she was doing. About 25 pounds lighter than when she first stepped foot in the Big Apple, along with heavy bags under her eyes and rigid cheekbones, Emily knew she needed to escape her situation. But this time, she had to escape for real.

“My mom knew I needed to come home,” Emily said. “She could tell, even just over the phone. I was kind of glad I didn’t have to explain too much.

She just knew.”

Today Emily was able to remove herself from her toxic situation and receive treatment at a Malibu rehab facility.

Now on out-patient status, Emily continues to see a therapist three times a week, in addition to finishing college online. She also works as a freelancer in editorial fashion and the music industry.

“I know I am in such a better place than I was before,” Emily said. “It was because I was able to get out of the situation I was in,” Emily said. “Not everybody is as lucky to be able to do that.”

Emily’s upbringing showed her a life filled with hope. Although her New York experience was shorter than expected, Emily said she is grateful for the life lessons that New York gave her.

“The second I got there, I knew New York was going to change me; and it did,” Emily said. “I didn’t expect it to take me down this path, but it did. So now I take the experience for what it is and move on with my life.” *The name has been changed to protect the individual's identity.

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By Ashley Mowreader Watching his father stagger home one night when he was young, freshman Carson Vandermade said he didn't realize his father was drunk until an argument exploded between his parents. It wasn't until later in his life he fully understood that his father suffered from alcoholism.

“You don't understand it, because you're a kid, so it's not like something that's real,” Vandermade said.

Sixteen million people in the U.S. had alcohol use disorder in 2016, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and 21.5 million adults had a substance abuse disorder in 2014, according to American Addiction Centers. But these people are not the only ones affected by substance abuse.

A 2017 Pew Research Center survey found that 46 percent of U.S. adults have a family member or close friend who is or has been addicted to drugs. In 2012, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services found over 7 million children in the U.S. lived with alcoholic parents.

Alcohol and drug abuse can create long-lasting effects not only on the addicts themselves, but also on their loved ones. Through recognizing the negative habits of addicts and receiving help through counseling and support groups, friends and family can overcome the hurt in their lives caused by addiction.

focused solely on obtaining and using the substance, which can damage relationships, according to American Addiction Centers. Addiction can make people more secretive, have trust issues and more prone to anger and abuse.

Freshman Zoe Walsh said her mother's alcoholism made her feel like she had to be responsible for her.

“It became a pattern of watching her binge-drink and not be able to control herself,” Walsh said. “I felt like I had to parent her or look out for her and feeling like she just in general wasn't in control of herself.”

Vandermade said he also felt a responsibility for his father's alcoholism, especially in terms of his parent's relationship.

“As the relationship between my mom and my dad becomes more dynamic through me being able to understand [his alcoholism] better as I grew up — I was more of a mediator between my mom and my dad,” Vandermade said. “Where there was resentment between them, I had to meld. I felt a responsibility for their relationship and for my dad's safety as well.”

Being in a relationship with an addict can also develop into codependency.

Codependency, as defined by Mental Health America, is “an emotional and behavioral condition that affects an individual's ability to have a healthy, mutually satisfying relationship.”

Being in Relationship with an Addict Codependency is also known as “relationship addiction,” as those Substance abusers can become in codependent relationships form

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abusive and one-sided relationships.

People who are codependent are more likely to enable and cover up addiction, as they feel insecure or avoidant of the problem, according to Mental Health America.

Loved ones of an addict can also feel isolation, fear and resentment, said Mona Dougherty, senior communication specialist for Al-Anon — an anonymous support group for friends and family of alcoholics.

“When people are affected by [alcoholism], they feel like they're alone, or that they're by themselves [and] no one else can understand what they're going through,” Dougherty said.

Walsh said she is also more likely to “overreact” when it comes to her loved one's drinking habits, as it makes her uncomfortable.

“Someone having a drink may not seem like that big of a deal to most people, [but] if it's my mom having a drink, it can cause panic and a lot of discomfort and very adverse reactions,” Walsh said.

If You Think Your Loved One is an Addict ...

If a person believes their loved one is an addict, Pepperdine counselor Sparkle Greenhaw said they should first educate themselves on what addiction looks like.

Greenhaw said a loose definition of addiction is someone who abuses a substance without regard to consequences and/or is unable to

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moderately use a substance. A person may be more prone to addiction if they have family history of addiction or have developed a tolerance to a substance.

Symptoms of drug addiction in adolescents include being withdrawn, sleeping more, depression, hostility, changes in eating habits and deteriorating relationships, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Risky or dangerous behavior, negative effects on grades and/or health, being in trouble with the law/ campus officials or getting angry if others comment on habits can also be symptoms of alcohol or drug use, according to the Pepperdine Health Center.

Walsh said her mother's pattern of binge drinking and being unable to quit drew her to the conclusion that her mother was an alcoholic.

“I kind of discovered it for myself because my family was really uncomfortable with those labels [of alcoholism] and since then, she has admitted to it,” Walsh said.

The next step is to let the addict know that you care. If a person chooses to confront a friend or roommate about an addiction, Greenhaw said to “stick to the facts,” like missed classes or probation.

“If you share a judgmental opinion, that's something people can argue with and that tends to not be as helpful,” Greenhaw said.

If it becomes a safety concern, Greenhaw continued, a person should tell an authority figure or someone who can help.

“As a roommate or a friend, you may see more of it and you have a more accurate picture,” Greenhaw said. “Unless you let someone know who can help, they may not know what's going on.

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There's a limit to how much someone can do.”

For Pepperdine students, the Counseling Center, Housing and Residence Life staff and the Office of the Chaplain all have people who can help, Greenhaw said. However, only the Counseling Center and Office of the Chaplain are required to stay confidential (so long as no one is in immediate danger).

How To Help (And How You Can't) A person who wants to help an addicted loved one should first set boundaries.

“I think it's important in [relationships] for the person to set boundaries — emotional boundaries and boundaries in how much they're going to take on,” Greenhaw said.

Walsh said loved ones of addicts should use compassion to define boundaries in the relationship.

“Try to understand where they're

coming from, and the use that understanding and that knowledge to recognize where you need to have a little bit of separation,” Walsh said.

“Help them recognize that unless something changes, your relationship might not be as close as it could be.”

Behaviors loved ones should avoid include: assuming the responsibilities of the addict, preaching or lecturing, feeling or responsible and joining or enabling the user, according to the National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD). Loved ones also should not try and cover up or lie about a loved one's addiction.

“Sometimes silence is actually contributing to the problem because they're pretending like there's not an issue or problem,” Greenhaw said.

Vandermade said it's important to take the relationship day by day.

“A piece of overarching advice is: Let love dominate your relationship with the person,” Vandermade said.

“It's easy to fall into resentment or be bitter about certain things, but you [have to] recognize it as a disease and treat that with compassion and recognize that they're not in control.”

Walsh said those in a relationship with an addict should not take the addict's actions personally.

“Understand that the person they are as an addict is a reflection of their inner turmoil rather than your relationship with them,” Walsh said. “You are still a good loved one and family member no matter how they lash out.”

Ultimately, it is the addict's responsibility to change and overcome his or her addiction, Greenhaw said.

“You can only do so much,” Greenhaw said. “You can't make anyone do anything.”

Photos Courtesy of Michael Murrie

Art by Bethany Wilson

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Resources for Loved Ones of Addicts For loved ones of addicts, there are many different resources available.

The Pepperdine Counseling Center offers free, confidential counseling for anyone who wants support.

Greenhaw said the Counseling Center is nonjudgemental, and students can talk about their own substance abuse or someone else's substance abuse.

“We take the approach that we want people to help themselves,” Greenhaw said. “We would talk with them about what's going on, what's not going well [and] how can we keep you safe.”

Walsh said she has attended counseling both at home and at Pepperdine.

“I think it can be really beneficial to have that be a tool [and] to have someone else make sure you're dealing with things healthily,” Walsh said.

Another option for loved ones of substance abusers are support groups.

Groups like Al-Anon and Nar-Anon are anonymous support groups for friends and family of people with alcoholism and drug addiction. Both groups follow a 12-step process, which helps members recover from the effects of being in a relationship with an addict.

Al-Anon is anonymous and available to all ages and people who are looking for support from their loved one's alcoholism, Doughtery said. AlAnon, like Nar-Anon, is centered on supporting the loved one of an addict and helping them overcome the effects of alcoholism or drug abuse in his or her life, Dougherty said.

“There's no restriction on what kind of Al-Anon relationship,” Dougherty said. “It's not about that person, it's about how you feel. Alcoholism is a disease, and it affects families regardless of whether it has been acknowledged as such. The effects on families are long lasting.”

Dougherty said those impacted by alcoholism and who are looking for support can try an Al-Anon group, but she hopes they will look until something fits.

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“There's no replacing the feeling of support, acceptance and encouragement that they can get from a group,” Dougherty said. “It's all about finding that right group for you.”

Greenhaw said it is important for loved ones of addicts to get support for themselves, whether that's talking to the Counseling Center, HRL staff, a friend or family member.

Walsh said she has encountered people throughout her life whom she was able to talk to about being affected by alcoholism.

“It's a surprisingly common thing — people with addict parents or loved ones,” Walsh said. “That's one of the most beneficial things is hearing things like, ‘You're not crazy, you're not being a bad person for having this off-relationship with your parents; it's not your fault.’”

Walsh recommended practical steps for those in a relationship with an addict such as getting involved in a new activity, finding ways to stay grounded, exploring creative pursuits and journaling.

“Journaling is a really great way of processing your experience without it having to be verbal and outspoken,” Walsh said. “You can still externalize it.”

Using Faith for Support The Office of the Chaplain at Pepperdine is another alternative for those looking for confidential aid, as they offer counseling for anyone looking for spiritual support or guidance.

“Our goals in spiritual care include helping people with their prayer lives, vocational discernment, getting involved in ministries and engaging God in numerous ways,” Chaplain Sara Barton said.

“Sometimes addiction or other challenges present themselves during spiritual care, and in such cases, we partner with the Counseling Center and Student Care Team to support student health. We encourage students to seek us out, and

we can help them understand services available to them.”

Dougherty said the 12-step program of Al-Anon includes reference to a higher power, but members do not have to be religiously affiliated or believe in God to participate.

“The individual puts their own definition on what that higher power means to them to help them achieve physical, emotional and spiritual serenity and growth,” Dougherty said.

“It's not something that's going to be pushed on you one way or another. We do have people who are atheists and agnostics.”

Barton said if a student has a faith system, she would encourage investment in intergenerational relationships, which can be found in churches, synagogues and other religious gatherings.

“A friend or mentor who has lived through life's challenges can offer helpful advice and direction,” Barton said.

Walsh and Vandermade both said they recommend relying on one's faith, as they are both Christians.

“If you can find peace [in religion], that's awesome, too,” Walsh said.

“Having counseling in God can be helpful if you're not in the place where you feel comfortable talking about your experience with other people.”

Vandermade said his father's alcoholism forced him to grow up, not literally, but in a spiritual sense, as he relied on his faith.

“I think having a faith is what got me through it and why I didn't need to seek more practical ways of coping,” Vandermade said. “Knowing that no matter what happens for that one night that's really [bad], it doesn't matter; I'm a child of God. I have one Father that I can depend on for anything, and He won't let me down.”

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Our hope is that the words printed in this publication go beyond the page.

Use and share these stories to pursue a difficult conversation within your own life. Be courageous. The start of a conversation is an incredible opportunity to open our minds, and create a change that is waiting to be initiated.

Photos Courtesy of Michael Murrie

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