PA colleges rank among the highest for drugs and alcohol

In spite of the legal drinking age and the laws around controlled substances, college students continue to experiment with alcohol in drugs. While this happens in every state and virtually all colleges, Pennsylvania does rank among the highest for drug and alcohol crimes and the resulting arrests. 

USA Today points out that fraternity hazing has a role to play in this. It has led to binge drinking, alcohol poisoning, drug overdoses and even deaths. When students are under the influence, many find themselves in trouble for alcohol-related crimes, some of which involve sexual assault and other concerning behaviors. 

While the Northeast is home to several Ivy Leagues, such as Harvard, Yale and MIT, it is also where the most arrests related to drugs and alcohol take place among college students. In fact, the West Chester University of Pennsylvania had the second-highest number of arrests related to drug and alcohol use among students. 

The situation was not much better in 2014. Back then, Business Insider ranked Penn State University at 17th place for on-campus drug arrests. When it came to alcohol-related arrests, several PA campuses of the public University of Pennsylvania, including Shippensburg, Bloomsberg and West Chester fell in the top five. The University of Pennsylvania came in at 18th place. 

It is not immediately clear what causes these tertiary institutions to rank so highly in campus arrests related to drugs and alcohol compared to others. However, many Pennsylvanians have long complained about a growing substance abuse problem in the state. This problem seems to have trickled into classrooms.