Most students disapprove of drug-taking and two thirds want universities to get tougher on it, according to a new study which debunks claims of widespread use.
The findings, which defy traditional stereotypes, show almost three quarters of students have not taken drugs while at university and are ‘less hedonistic’ than people suppose.
It comes just weeks after the hard-left National Union of Students (NUS) urged institutions to go soft on the issue, claiming drug use was widespread and ‘largely accepted’.
The union said those caught with Class A drugs should be dealt with ‘informally’ instead of being reported to the police because such action is ‘archaic and harmful’.
No drugs, please – we’re students: A majority of young learners surveyed said they wanted a tougher line taken against drug users and takers
However, today these claims are destroyed by a report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), which reveals most students want to carry out their studies without drugs being present.
A total of 71 per cent of the students polled by the think tank have not taken drugs at university and 62 per cent want a tougher line from vice chancellors on both users and dealers.
HEPI director Nick Hillman said: ‘This survey provides an important corrective to some of the wilder ideas about today’s students.
‘They are more hardworking and less hedonistic than is often supposed.
‘A majority think there are dangers in taking illegal substances.
‘Our survey shows most students support their institutions taking a tougher, rather than a more relaxed, line on the use of illegal substances by fellow students.’
The survey of 1,000 students also found that 88 per cent of respondents believe drug use can cause long-term mental health problems.
Meanwhile, around two thirds stated that it contributes to criminality and health care costs.
Nearly half – 47 per cent – of those who took drugs said peer pressure had been the trigger.
And while the NUS claimed drugs were often used to self-medicate for mental health problems, the HEPI survey found 81 per cent of drug-takers said they did so for recreational purposes.
Only 6 per cent said it was to cope with exam pressure.
Broken down by gender, female students were slightly more likely to have not taken drugs – 74 per cent – compared with 68 per cent of boys.
Most students – 53 per cent – said their university does not do enough to deter illegal drug use.
Sensible folk: The survey of 1,000 students also found that 88 per cent of respondents believe drug use can cause long-term mental health problems
Anthony Seldon, vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham, which co-published the research, said institutions should not shy away of tackling the issue head-on.
‘With illegal drugs, we have been fiddling while Rome burns,’ he said.
‘Illegal drug-taking causes mental health problems, and is a symptom of them.
‘Even students themselves think there needs to be a stronger lead on drug-dealing, especially as the survey shows many students feel under peer pressure to participate in illegal drugs.’
Buckingham currently has a drive to eliminate drugs from its campus through education programmes and targeting peer pressure.
The NUS survey, published in April, suggested 56 per cent of students had taken drugs and two-thirds had ‘showed a relaxed attitude’ towards student drug use.
Bizarrely, the NUS also claimed punishing drug users might be unfair to ‘poorer students’ and ‘those from a liberation background’ – defined by the NUS as people who are black, disabled, transgender, gay, bisexual or female.
The NUS said these groups are disproportionately affected because they are more likely to take drugs to help with a mental or physical health problem.