Reed College has some work to do. Law enforcement agencies say that the Portland, Ore., school has a drug problem on its campus, and it's time for Reed President Colin Diver to lead a fight against drug use.
The drug war will commence this weekend at the school's Renn Fayre Festival, where undercover agents plan on cracking down on drug dealers and users, the New York Times reports. The festival is a Renaissance fair of sorts, but officials say that it has turned into a massive drugfest. The fact that a Reed student tragically died of a heroin overdose last month only makes matters worse.
"They said Renn Fayre has a reputation in Portland that draws people from outside the college who are users and dealers and distributors of drugs," Diver tells the Times. "They suggested undercover agents because they said we wouldn't be able deal with large, well-organized criminal networks on our own."
The student's death last month was the second heroin-related overdose at Reed in recent years.
"It's a complicated issue, but two drug deaths in two years on a campus of 1,300 students, something has to change," Dwight C. Holton, the United States attorney for Oregon, tells the Times.
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Reader Comments Read all comments (2)
James Hall of CA 5:39PM April 27, 2010
Christopher Hobe Morrison of NY 5:02PM April 27, 2010