Students at one of the world's most prestigious educational institutions, Oxford University in England, have been warned against dealing in heroin.

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 13px;"></span><br /> <div class="body imp" style="color: #111111; font-family: arial, helvetica, georgia, sans, verdana; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; padding-bottom: 10px; white-space: normal;"><div style="padding-bottom: 15px;"></div></div><div class="body" style="color: #111111; font-family: arial, helvetica, georgia, sans, verdana; font-size: 13px; white-space: normal;">It was Oxford University's independent student newspaper <a href="http://www.cherwell.org/aboutus" style="color: black;">Cherwell</a> which first <a href="http://www.cherwell.org/content/9858" style="color: black;">reported</a> that an anonymous letter had been sent to authorities at one of Oxford's largest colleges, <a href="http://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/" style="color: black;">Christ Church</a>.<div style="padding-bottom: 15px;"></div>The letter had warned the authorities at what is one of 38 colleges and six <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_Private_Hall" style="color: black;">Permanent Private Halls</a> at Oxford that a "considerable drugs culture" can be found among the students at Christ Church.<div style="padding-bottom: 15px;"></div>According to the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/7272357/Students-at-Oxfords-Christ-Church-accused-of-dealing-heroin.html" style="color: black;">Telegraph</a> those students number 426.<div style="padding-bottom: 15px;"></div>And as a consequence of the anonymous letter, junior Censor Ian Watson, described by the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1252299/Oxford-University-students-accused-dealing-heroin-tip-letter.html" style="color: black;">Daily Mail</a> as the person "in charge of discipline" at Christ Church, has sent an email to his college's students with the subject line "Urgent warning concerning drugs".<div style="padding-bottom: 15px;"></div>Explaining to the students that "The law applies just as rigorously within college as elsewhere" and that he and his colleagues cannot and will not protect anyone who breaks the law Mr Watson said:<blockquote style="border-left-color: black; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 40px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 60px; padding-top: 0px;">Last week the censors received an anonymous letter alleging the existence in Christ Church of a considerable drugs culture, including the supplying of class A drugs such as heroin. The letter named one individual.<div style="padding-bottom: 15px;"></div>The police, whom the censors consulted in the person of the community liaison officer who deals with the university, have advised that this letter does not in itself constitute usable evidence with which to start an investigation.<div style="padding-bottom: 15px;"></div>All junior members should, however, recall that the use, and especially the supplying, of prohibited drugs constitutes a serious criminal offence</blockquote><div style="padding-bottom: 15px;"></div>While students interviewed by <em>Cherwell</em> acknowledged that drugs could be found at Christ Church, and one student is quoted by the <em>Daily Mail</em> as saying "On the surface Christ Church appears to be full of hardworking, bookish students. In reality, drug use and supply is widespread", the consensus seems to be that heroin is not being widely used by those attending the college.<div style="padding-bottom: 15px;"></div>With Ian Watson dubbed by one female student "an over-enthusiastic Censor being over-dramatic", another unnamed student opined:<blockquote style="border-left-color: black; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 40px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 60px; padding-top: 0px;">It looks like some nutter coming in, seeing a few people looking rough, and saying they're all smack-heads. It's palpably false - there is no Heroin in Christ Church</blockquote><div style="padding-bottom: 15px;"></div>However Christ Church has been at the center of a controversy involving the use of heroin on a previous occasion.<div style="padding-bottom: 15px;"></div>In 1986 Olivia Channon, the 22-year-old daughter of the late Paul Channon, Conservative Secretary of State for Transport and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry during the 1980s, died at a party on campus from the effects of the alcohol she had consumed and the heroin she had taken.<div style="padding-bottom: 15px;"></div>The party attended by Ms Channon had taken place in the room of Count Gottfried von Bismarck, who was to eventually die in 2007 at the age of 44 after what the <em>Daily Mail</em> <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-486841/Aristocrat-Count-von-Bismarck-killed-record-cocaine.html" style="color: black;">said at the time</a> and the <em>Telegraph</em> said this weekend was "a two-day binge on cocaine and heroin".</div>

Students at one of the world's most prestigious educational institutions, Oxford University in England, have been warned against dealing in heroin.

It was Oxford University's independent student newspaper  Cherwell  which first  reported  that an anonymous letter had been sent to a...

Read more »