Don’t inject it alone: University offers students online guide to taking heroin
A TOP university, where a student died last year after taking ecstasy, has been slammed for giving detailed advice on how to take drugs ‘safely’.
The guide on the official University of Sheffield website tells students who take drugs with a needle not to ‘inject alone’ and gives a step-by-step guide on how to take specific substances.
Joana Burns, 22, died in June last year after taking MDMA – a crystallised form of ecstasy – during a club night out at the university’s student union.
The online guide gives instructions about crushing the MDMA, ‘dabbing the end of your finger into the powder’ and how long to wait before ‘considering redosing’. Further details are provided for taking ecstasy pills, along with advice about quantities and further doses.
It also suggests splitting pills into smaller amounts, drinking plenty of water, not mixing different drugs and to avoid taking substances on consecutive days. Another page states, ‘if you are injecting drugs, never inject alone’, and to take drugs ‘with friends’.
The information is predominantly on the ‘drug harm reduction’ page of the Students’ Union section of the website. It can be reached by a link on the university website.
Students at the university have criticised the move. Final-year Spanish student Sab Jones said: ‘How can they write “if you are injecting drugs, never inject alone”? It’s like an oxymoron.
‘That is basically saying, “it’s dangerous, but do it with a friend”. It means not only putting yourself at risk, but someone close to you also at risk. I’m ashamed that this policy is real and on their website.’ Drama student Bliss Hunter added: ‘I think it’s a bizarre thing to tell students – it’s dangerous and it advocates taking drugs which is completely wrong.
‘The student union should be looking at protecting students and deferring them away from the drug scene, not encouraging them to take them. ‘We’ve seen rises in cases of deaths by party drugs and these seem to be the case in university students.
‘The university needs to offer support and advice to students who are tempted by drugs, and should be highlighting the negative effects the drugs may have.’
The information on the university’s website stresses that possession, use and sup- ply of drugs is illegal and the university has a ‘zero tolerance policy’ towards drugs.
A university spokesman said: ‘The university and its students’ union does not condone substance misuse in any shape or form. We do, however, understand some students may try drugs during their time at university. With this in mind, we think it is important to ensure that, while we cannot condone this, if a student does choose to take drugs, they are as informed as possible.’
The university has faced scrutiny over the death of Miss Burns, who didn’t normally take drugs but was experimenting as part of a ‘final fling’ to celebrate the end of her third-year exams. She was a maths student at Sheffield Hallam University, but was visiting the Sheffield union.
She had created two home-made ‘MDMA bombs’ by splitting the £7 powder into two cigarette wrappers. She started fitting in the early hours and died in hospital.
‘Should be highlighting the negative effects’