Anger as university tells its students how to take heroin

AN elite university has been accused of ‘normalising drug use’ after advising students how to ‘safely’ take heroin.

exeter University, which is one of the 24 Russell Group institutions, sent out an alert on Friday about a ‘contaminated’ batch of the Class A drug locally.

The message to students on the Falmouth campus in Cornwall advised drug users not to sample the substance alone. It told them to carry anti-overdose medication at all times.

The warning also applied to so-called ‘street benzos’, drugs often purporting to be Xanax and Valium. The university said these and other substances had been contaminated, leading to a rise in overdoses in the town.

The alert advised students to ‘ideally avoid using alone, or use in a place you will be found, or use a “buddy app”’. The apps are run by volunteers who give safety advice or trigger medical attention in the event of an overdose. The message also told students to sample new drugs in low doses.

Drugs campaigner Janie Hamilton accused the university of ‘showing complicity’. Her son James died at 36 after refusing chemotherapy for cancer due to his schizophrenia, which his family believe was triggered by his cannabis addiction.

She said: ‘It is sending out a message that “it’ll be OK if you put these measures in place”.

There is no safe way to take drugs. Young people need graphic education as to the dangers of unknown substances and the consequences.’

Chris McGovern, of the Campaign for Real education, said: ‘The university is normalising drug use.’ exeter University said it was ‘asked by drug and alcohol support teams in Cornwall to inform students about a rise in drug contamination and overdoses in the area’, adding: ‘We do not condone drug-taking and have zero tolerance of any criminal or anti- social behaviour related to drugs.’