Students returning from break may find more drugs in town than when they left.

Cmdr. Jim Robinson of the Ames Police Department said the police often see an increase in drug activity increase in Ames after college students return from breaks in their schedule.

“After an extended break, the amount of such a type of controlled substance as marijuana will increase,” he said.

Robinson said people often bring drugs from their home communities with them when they return to school.

“Folks leave the community and go to just about every state in the country,” Robinson said. “There is a very small percentage of individuals that are bringing controlled substances to our community when they come back to school.”

The trend is not limited to short breaks, such as winter break or spring break.

“After summer break, we will see the same thing happen,” he said. “People involved in drug activity may have a larger quantity of drugs after break.”

Lt. Dru Toresdahlof the Story County Sheriff’s Office said the most common drug in the area is marijuana.

“We don’t see too much methamphetamine, but certainly marijuana,” he said.

Toresdahl said the Central Iowa Drug Task Force has already witnessed the drug increase within the past week that classes have been in session.

“From Dec. 14 to Jan. 14, they had 32 cases,” he said. “Just in the few weeks being back up until today [Wednesday], they have had 18. You can see that there is an increase.”

However, Toresdahl also said the absence and return of student informants may skew the numbers, making it appear there is an increase when students return.

“A lot of that [the increase in drugs] is in part because students are informants for us. If they are gone, they are not helping us in making the cases.”

Toresdahl said when these informants return to school, however, the sheriff’s office will “pick back up with the informants,” which would make it seem as though there were more drugs than there actually are.

Toresdahl also said the fact that ISU students live and work in Ames could be the source of many of the city’s drug problems.

“Our drug task force is made up of three different counties.”

“Ames certainly develops more cases than anywhere else out of these three counties,” he said.

“When you look at people who use drugs, a lot of it tends to be of that age group.”