Student drug dealers brave the law

Dealers feel little fear for Security or the police

"I sell drugs, but I don't think I'm a professional," a first-year student said. Ever since arriving on campus in the fall he has been selling marijuana, acid and mushrooms.

Another student, a junior, said that he sold marijuana that he grew in his room, making about $1500 in one semester. He said that at the height of his activity, he was getting three or four calls a day. "I was getting too popular," he said. He has since stopped selling drugs, and said that after he became emotionally stressed because of his activity, the money was no longer worth it. "It is interesting what people will do for money," he said.

A third student, a first-year, said he sold 15 sheets of acid in a few months, making several thousand dollars. After this one-time experience, he said that he has since stopped selling because it is "tremendously illegal."

Students sell drugs for a variety of reasons. The first first-year said, "It is fun and easy and a good hobby. … It pays for my large drug habit."

The second first-year said he was drawn to sell primarily because of "outrageous profits." He said, "If you have a chance to make $1,000 easy, do you do it or not? … That pull could easily enrapture me again," he said.

The junior was also drawn to sell for financial reasons. He said that he was short money, and decided to turn to selling drugs.

All three sellers said that they felt being at Oberlin made it possible for them the sell drugs with very little risk.

"The school pretty much protects me. I am pretty much immune from the law and I am not worried about RCs [Resident Coordinators] or Security," the first first-year said. "I don't think there is any risk here at all. I've sold acid to people I don't know at all and not worried about it."

"The only thing that allowed me to do it was the fact that we are in Oberlin - a sheltered bubble. You are not really under state regulations," the second first-year agreed.

The junior felt that selling on-campus was safe. "The possibility of getting caught was virtually nil," he said. He did, however, feel that selling drugs was stressful and emotionally unhealthy.

"A lot of people are interested in selling, but they don't understand the emotional stress," he said. "I came within inches from getting caught. I turned into a paranoid wreck."

Despite his experience, he still sees the risk as very low. "I was unique in that I had anxiety," he said.

The nonchalance of students is not unwarranted by the policies of the Oberlin Police Department and College Security.

"We don't see Oberlin College as a big drug problem … We don't go onto campus and do party busting. We don't walk through dorms seeking out drug use," Sgt. Kyle Michalak, Oberlin Police Drug Abuse Resistance Education program head and juvenile officer, said.

Interim Director of Security Joe DiChristina said, "The role of Student Life and Services is an educational position. There is no reason that the College has any interest in actively pursuing dealers."

Michalak said that he wishes College Security played a more active role in drug enforcement. "They are not doing as much as they could." Michalak said that this opinion comes from his "zero-tolerance" attitude towards drug use and that other officers might have a different view.

He said that while the police do not have the right to go into dorms, security does obtain that right.

Drug use and selling in town receives different attention from the Oberlin Police than it does on campus. Michalak said that the police use active and covert investigation techniques to arrest and build cases against the city's drug dealers. According to Michalak, the town has substantial markets in both marijuana and crack cocaine.

The junior seller said that selling off-campus was much less safe than selling in the dorms. "It is the real world," he said. "It is distinctly unwise to grow off campus"

Michalak said that the Lorain County Task Force, which is comprised of a police officer from each of the county's departments, is the undercover narcotics enforcement unit. According to Michalak, the unit makes undercover drug buys and either arrests on the spot or tries to build a case against established drug dealers. "We are ultimately looking for big suppliers," he said.

Michalak said that the police don't walk around campus or through dorms because it would be an invasion of students' privacy. "It is no different than going into your house," he said. He also said that in light of recent legal precedents, the right of police to even go onto college campuses is being questioned.

The second first-year said, "There is very little [security and police] could do. They would have to invade our privacy too much."

Both the police and security said that if they see a drug violation, they are obligated to do something about it.

"We are obligated to respond to all calls," Michalak said. "If we are there for a legitimate reason and see drug use, officers are obligated to do something about it."

DiChristina said that the College cannot protect a student from legal action.

Despite the divisions the police appear to see between drugs on campus and in town, there are also definite interactions between drugs on-campus and drugs in the town. Michalak said that there is a increased amount of drug-selling in town immediately after breaks when students have returned to Oberlin with large quantities of drugs from the East and West Coast.

Michalak said, "We know there are some kids going onto campus to buy mainly weed."

The first first-year said that he has both bought and sold from town residents. "The guy I used to buy from was a little paranoid," he said. He also said that he sometimes sells to town teenagers at parties.

The laws of economics also influence the sellers. All three dealers said that they were not affected by competition between sellers much, if at all. The first first-year said that there is little competition between sellers because "it is so spread out … there isn't a big central dealer."

He went on to say that at home he had to price his drugs in order to undercut the prices of the central sellers, but here he doesn't have that problem.

The second first-year said, "The demand is high enough and the supply is scarce enough" that competition is not a factor. He said he was aware of other sellers, but not in terms that would affect his price or ability to sell.

"The people I was dealing with didn't have another source," the junior said. "I priced on what people were willing to pay. When someone bought from me I sized them up," he said. "I would charge a rich freshman more than a hippie," he said.

The first first-year said that although he makes about $50 off each large purchase of marijuana, he can make more on acid because he can "jack the price up" more.

According to the sellers, most of the drugs on campus come from other parts of the country - usually brought back by students from their homes. "It is really hard to get it from Oberlin. I usually buy in large quantities and bring it here," the first first-year said.

He went on to say that the quality of drugs that originate from Oberlin is quite low. "It is hard to get good, well-divided pot," first-year one said. "The acid here is just dog shit."