NUS urges universities not to report students to police for possession of illegal drugs

Universities should not report students to the police, or exclude them from courses for possessing illegal drugs, according to the National Union of Students (NUS).

It also suggests that students should not be disciplined for drug-related behaviour that is not a criminal offence.

The call comes in a new report by the NUS which argues that simply disciplining students “fails to recognise the complex reasons that lead people to use drugs” and risks marginalising minority groups such as women and LGBT+ students.

Instead, students should be supported and given advice and information, it suggests.

Almost two fifths (39%) of students use drugs, and 17% have done so in the past, according to a sur- vey of around 2,800 people conducted by the NUS as part of the report. It defines drugs as illegal substances, such as cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine, as well as non-prescribed drugs and so-called “legal highs”.

The survey indicates that the majority of those polled (62%) do not have a problem with students taking drugs recreationally, while many believe that universities and colleges should not punish those that do.

Overall, nearly half (47%) agreed that institutions should not penalise students who take drugs, with 27% disagreeing.

“The findings from our study call into question both the effectiveness and fairness of a punitive approach when addressing student drug use,” the NUS said. “Policy responses that focus solely on disciplining students fail to recognise the complex reasons that lead people to use drugs and therefore there is a risk that they may only serve to further marginalise certain groups of students, such as poorer students and those from a liberation background.”

It goes on to argue that “students should not be disciplined for drug-related behaviour that does not constitute a criminal offence” such as possessing drug paraphernalia.

The union says that students “should not be reported to the police or permanently excluded” for possessing an illegal drug.

“If a student is reported to the police for a suspected or alleged drug offence (eg supplying a controlled drug), they should be signposted to legal advice and information services,” the report adds.

It argues that mental health is a key factor in drug use by many students, and that certain groups, such as women, LGBT+ and disabled students were more likely to take drugs for mental health-related reasons.