Student Handbook

Statement for the Prevention of Drug & Alcohol Abuse 

Behavioral Expectations

The behavioral expectations of JBU for every member of its community include the prohibition of possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol on its property or as part of its activities.

NOTE: This is not to be interpreted to mean that students can drink off campus. See specific policies under "Community Standards."

Treatment Support

Every employee of JBU with a drug and/or alcohol concern is provided one session with a university counselor for assessment and referral to an appropriate therapist and/or agency in the area. Students may have as many sessions with a university counselor as the counselor deems necessary. Assessment and/or referral may be part of the process.

Behavioral Review and Actions

Students at JBU involved with alcohol and/or drug use or abuse are subject to review by the campus judicial system. The judicial process facilitates awareness, understanding, and restitution while encouraging desirable behavior and inhibiting undesirable behavior. The specific sanctions of the judicial process are as follows: admonition, formal warning, developmental contract, disciplinary probation, restitution, fines, and denial of privileges, suspension, and dismissal.

Employees involved with alcohol and/or drug abuse are subject to review by the appropriate administrators. An employee who violates the code of conduct (which includes drug and alcohol abuse) is subject to discharge. Students and/or employees who sell illicit drugs will have their relationship with the college terminated and be referred to local authorities for prosecution.

Effects of Alcohol

Even the moderate use of alcohol can produce consequences such as impaired physical activity, slowed mental alertness, and dulling of conscience. Heavy drinking increases the inability of an individual’s control or judgment. Heavy drinking over long periods reduces both the quality and length of life. Lowered resistance to disease and irreversible damage to organs such as the brain, heart, liver, kidneys, and stomach can occur. Beyond the physical problems lies social destruction, including dysfunctional family living.

Effects of Drugs

The following negative effects from the use of illicit drugs are cited to describe the danger involved in drug abuse:

• Cocaine – dependency, increased blood pressure, seizures, cardiorespiratory collapse, severe mental disorders
• Amphetamines – temporary psychosis, dependency, heart disorders
• Marijuana – dependency, loss of coordination, brain lesions, lung tissue damage
• Barbiturates – addiction, apathy, loss of self-control, convulsions, coma
• LSD – hallucinations, recurring effects (flashbacks), brain damage, chromosomal breakdown
• Heroin – lethargy, convulsions, coma, liver problems, mental deterioration

State and Federal Penalties for Illicit Alcohol

Under the Arkansas criminal code, it is illegal for a person under 21 years to use or possess alcohol. Possession of alcohol in Arkansas by anyone under 21 is a class C misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. A person can serve up to 30 days in jail and pay a $100 fine for public intoxication. For furnishing an alcoholic beverage to a minor, the penalty can be as high as $500 and a one-year jail term (which can be increased to five years in the state penitentiary upon a second conviction). Other offenses, such as minor-in-possession, furnishing alcohol to alcoholics or intoxicated persons, and possessing or selling untaxed liquor, can carry fines up to $500 or six months in jail, or both.

Under federal law of the United States, whoever transports alcohol into any district where the sale of alcohol is prohibited “shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year or both.”

Illicit Drugs

Under Arkansas law, the fine for manufacturing or delivering (or possession with the intent to manufacture or deliver) a controlled substance ranges from $10,000 to $250,000, depending on the classification of the substance. Prison terms for this crime range from 15 to 40 years or life. Furthermore, these penalties may be doubled if the crime involves distributing a narcotic drug to a minor.

Simple possession of a controlled substance in a relatively small quantity carries penalties ranging from a $1,000 fine/one year in prison for a first offense to $10,000/ten years in prison for a third offense or possession of a Schedule or Schedule II substance (such as cocaine).

The criminal sanctions under federal law for manufacturing or distributing (or possessing with the intent to manufacture or distribute) a controlled substance are similar to those under state law: three- to 30-year prison sentences and fines from $10,000 to $250,000. Likewise, simple possession of a controlled substance carries a $5,000 fine, a one-year term of imprisonment, or both for a first offense. These penalties are doubled for subsequent offenses.

Review of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Statement

This statement is subject to biennial review by John Brown University to implement necessary changes and to ensure consistent application.

Requirement to Report Violations

It is a requirement of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 that the employee report work-place drug convictions of employees to his/her employer within five days of conviction. A condition of employment at JBU is that this requirement be adhered to.

Requirement to Support Drug-Free Policy

It is also a condition of employment that employees understand and support the Statement for the Prevention of Drug and Alcohol Abuse at John Brown University.