A new report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) finds that 49 percent of U.S. college students ages 18-24 (3.8 million) are binge drinkers and that growing numbers of students are misusing prescription drugs, Reuters reported March 15.

The study [Wasting the Best and the Brightest: Substance Abuse] said that while the numbers of college alcohol users and binge drinkers has not changed much over the years, students are drinking to excess more frequently.

CASA laid some of the blame at the feet of college administrators. "College presidents, deans and trustees have facilitated a college culture of alcohol and drug abuse that is linked to poor student academic performance, depression, anxiety, suicide, property damage, vandalism, fights and a host of medical problems," the report said.

"I think we have, by almost any standard, a serious public-health problem on the college campuses. And it's deteriorating," said CASA director Joseph Califano.

"Basically the proportion of college students who drink and binge drink has stayed constant. But what's troubling is the tremendous increase in the intensity of their drinking and drug use and the excessiveness of it."

The report said that 1.8 million full-time college students (22.9 percent) meet the criteria for substance abuse or dependence. This is two and one half times the 8.5 percent of the general population who meet these same criteria.

[Additional information from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University
http://casacolumbia.org]