May 8, 2008 by Kingston
 Except for the occasional schmuck, like Nicklebag Joe Arapio when the Maricopa County Sheriff was a Fed, DEA agents are the elite special forces in the Hundred Year War on Drugs. So I was surprised to see the full force of the federal government's Drug War Commandos brought to bear on some San Diego State University frat boy dealers. Kids dealing drugs on college campuses—how unexpected and totally shocking. But it seems this was the case of a pretty face that launched a thousand narcs.The May 7 raid was intentionally held on the one year anniversary of the day nineteen year old Jenny Poliakoff died after partying with her sorority sisters. These days whenever there is an unfortunate death, it is necessary to find a villain. One of the paramount rules of victimhood is the victim is never responsible, especially if they are young, vivacious and pretty—even if they also happen to be an adult. Someone else has to take the fall.  Jenny's parents wondered if they would ever understand her death, after all they had the “perfect daughter.” Well, not quite. She was something of a college party animal, which always involves booze and often blow. In other words, Jenny Poliakoff was following in the footsteps of the Frat Boy in Chief. And first daughter.Over five million Americans use cocaine every year. Drug Warriors admit that cocaine related deaths are rare, and usually it is impossible to medically conclude that the cocaine found in the system of the deceased was the actual cause of death. Estimates of the number of US cocaine related deaths annually range wildly from 87 to 5000.  However, booze is the big killer. Some 100,000 Americans die every year, when you include auto accidents and other collateral damage. But even though eighty percent of the nations 12,000,000 college students drink, only 36 campus deaths a year can be attributed to alcohol.Even if MADD's outlandish figure of 1,400 alcohol related college deaths is accurate, it is a minuscule percentage of the college population. While one death from alcohol or cocaine is a tragedy, and ingesting these substances often causes a lot of problems besides death, society's hysteria is unwarranted.  Old coots have been wringing their hands over wayward students since at least the time of Aristotle. However, with the ascendancy of the authoritarian Nanny State and perpetual Millennial Generation childhood, institutions of higher learning have become increasingly serious in their efforts to stamp out the age old problem of partying. But, when the costs and benefits are rationally considered, it hardly makes sense for college administrators and law enforcement agencies to get their panties in a knot over drinking by a group of people, who are adults for every purpose except the consumption of alcohol.Indeed, since two of every three college undergraduates is of legal age to drink, only about 12 deaths occur as a result of illegal drinking. Assuming it more or less tracks the general public, the college cocaine death rate is so small, it should not even be on the radar.  Jenny Poliakoff most likely died because she was binge drinking. Alcohol kills freshmen at a greater rate than other students, because having new found freedom they tend to go berserk. Cocaine was in her system—it may have been (but probably was not, considering the rarity of cocaine morbidity) a contributing factor.Jenny made a choice, and unfortunately the Powerball type odds handed her the fatal jackpot. But, it set in motion a concerted effort to find the culpable parties, since it certainly couldn't be the adult who chose to get sloshed and put coke up her nose. I don't really care that they busted the frat boys, it is a drug dealer occupational hazard. But the raid was, like almost everything in the War on Drugs, all show, and will not enhance the safety or health of college students one iota.   |
Posted in Cocaine, DEA, Jenny Poliakoff, San Diego State University, War On Drugs, alcohol, college students, colleges, drug dealers, fraternities, partying, sororities, universities | Comments (0)
