Walk across almost any college or university today and it is hard to avoid the feeling that higher education has quietly become a giant laboratory of substance use, where millions of young people are normalizing behavior that would have shocked previous generations. What is often framed as “college culture” is, in reality, a widespread public health crisis that schools prefer to manage rather than confront. Alcohol, beer, weed, cocaine, meth, and vaping devices are not fringe elements of student life anymore; they are woven into it, shaping how students socialize, cope, and even define their identities. Alcohol remains the backbone of this crisis. What begins as casual weekend drinking frequently escalates into routine binge behavior that damages bodies, impairs judgment, and derails academic futures. Emergency rooms near campuses are filled every year with students suffering from alcohol poisoning, injuries, or assaults linked to intoxication, yet universities continue to ...