Dr Sarath Obeysekera 

“Drug menace in universities – The Island” https://island.lk/drug-menace-in-universities/

The recent Island editorial, Drug Menace in Universities,” refers to the conviction of a second-year Sri Lankan university student for selling hashish and other smuggled substances. This incident should not be dismissed as the isolated wrongdoing of one student. It is a warning that drug dealers are attempting to penetrate our universities and turn young people into both consumers and distributors.

Sri Lanka is not alone in facing this danger. Britain, despite its highly developed university system, advanced policing and extensive student welfare services, is also struggling with drug use among young adults.

The vulnerable first two years

The first and second years of university are especially vulnerable periods. Many students are living away from their parents for the first time. They suddenly enjoy greater freedom, receive invitations to parties and nightclubs, and face pressure to become part of new social groups.

Some students experiment out of curiosity. Others take substances to overcome shyness, cope with loneliness or anxiety, remain awake while studying, or escape academic and financial pressure. What begins as experimentation during a party can gradually become regular use.

However, it would be inaccurate to claim that most British university students take illegal drugs. A 2024 Universities UK report found that approximately 18 percent of students surveyed had used drugs at some point, while 12 percent had done so during the preceding year. A more recent Students Organising for Sustainability UK survey reported in 2026 that about 19 percent of respondents were current drug users. These are still disturbing numbers, but they also show that the majority of students are not current users.

The picture changes when we consider the wider population of young adults. University College London research following members of Generation Z found that, by the age of 23, 49 percent had tried cannabis and 32 percent had tried substances such as cocaine, ketamine or ecstasy. Not everyone in this study was a university student, and having tried” a substance is different from regular or dependent use. Nevertheless, the findings demonstrate how experimentation can rise sharply during the early twenties.

Cannabis remains the most common drug. Among students who currently used drugs in a major 2023–24 survey, 74 percent used cannabis. Ketamine, cocaine, ecstasy, nitrous oxide and hallucinogenic mushrooms were also reported. Recreation was the main reason given for drug use, followed by improving social interaction.

Nightlife and the drug economy

During my own time in Britain, I frequently observed the enormous crowds of young people gathering around London’s West End, including Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Soho. On weekend nights these areas can be packed with students and other young adults moving between pubs, bars and nightclubs.

A crowded entertainment district does not mean that everyone there is using drugs. Most young people go out to meet friends, dance and enjoy themselves. Nevertheless, nightlife environments create opportunities for drug dealers. Alcohol reduces judgement, loud and congested venues make discreet transactions easier, and young people may feel pressure to imitate their friends.

This is not merely a social habit. It is part of a large underground economy. Drug traffickers and street-level dealers make enormous profits, but the surrounding legitimate economy also benefits from youth nightlife. Nightclubs, bars, alcohol companies, taxi services, food outlets, security companies and property owners all earn revenue from the night-time economy.

Club owners should not automatically be accused of involvement in drug dealing. Many employ security personnel, search customers and cooperate with the police. Yet venues cannot be allowed to turn a blind eye when drug dealing becomes visible or repeatedly occurs on their premises. Commercial profit cannot take precedence over the safety of young people.

The latest British evidence indicates that drug use is not confined to clubs. The 2023–24 student survey found that homes and student accommodation were the most commonly reported locations for drug use, followed by house parties. This means that closing one nightclub or arresting a few street dealers will not solve the problem.

The danger is increased by mixing substances. Among students who had used drugs, commonly reported combinations included alcohol with cannabis, ketamine or cocaine. Mixing alcohol and drugs can make their effects unpredictable and increase the risk of unconsciousness, accidents, assault, overdose and death.

British official statistics show the seriousness of the wider crisis. In England and Wales, 5,565 drug-poisoning deaths were registered in 2024—the highest number since records began in 1993. These deaths were not predominantly university students, but they reveal the deadly market into which some young people are entering.

What Sri Lanka should learn

Sri Lanka must act before drug distribution becomes firmly embedded in campus life. Universities should not be treated merely as locations for police raids. They must become centres of prevention, early identification, confidential counselling and rehabilitation.

Every university should establish a properly trained drug and alcohol support unit. First-year orientation should include factual education about cannabis, hashish, synthetic drugs, prescription-drug misuse and the dangers of mixing drugs with alcohol. Parents must also be educated to recognise changes in behaviour without immediately condemning or abandoning their children.

University authorities, the police, health services, student unions, hostel wardens and nearby entertainment establishments must share information and cooperate. Dealers who recruit students or sell near universities should face firm legal action. At the same time, students who seek help for substance use should not be frightened into silence by the threat of automatic expulsion.

Britain is increasingly discussing harm reduction alongside law enforcement. Harm reduction does not mean approving drug use. It means preventing deaths, providing honest information, identifying contaminated substances, encouraging students not to mix drugs and alcohol, and ensuring that a frightened friend can call for medical assistance without delay.

Sri Lanka needs the same balanced approach: strict enforcement against traffickers and campus dealers, combined with treatment and confidential assistance for users. Punishment alone may drive the problem underground. Leniency towards organised dealers, however, would allow a profitable criminal network to grow.

The conviction of a second-year student should therefore become a national wake-up call. Universities produce the doctors, engineers, teachers, administrators and political leaders of the future. If dealers are permitted to recruit within these institutions, the country will lose not only individual students but part of its future intellectual leadership.

The drug menace is international, commercial and highly adaptable. It cannot be defeated by occasional arrests or moral speeches. It requires continuous intelligence gathering, responsible university leadership, parental awareness, better mental-health support, accountable nightlife management and the courage to treat addiction as a health problem while treating organised drug trafficking as a serious crime.

Dr. Sarath Obeysekera

Regards

Dr Sarath Obeysekera