Colleges across America are awash in drug use. While dabbling with substances like alcohol and marijuana are almost a rite of passage for students away at college, a multitude of other, more sinister drugs have now made their way onto campuses and into dormitories.
Alarmingly, the most popular drugs amongst students may also be the most menacing. Prescription medications like Adderall, Ritalin, and Vyvanse are stimulant medications intended for people who have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); they are also the new drugs of choice on campus. However, students are not using these drugs recreationally or to take the edge off, quite the contrary. Far from being “party drugs”, they are used both as a means of coping with the intense workload that accompanies college life and to gain a competitive edge in the classroom.
Forsaking traditional, more benign study aids like coffee and cigarettes, students now actively seek out stronger alternatives. “Joe”, a sophomore at FSCJ (who wished to remain anonymous) is one of these students. “I always have a crazy amount of work to do,” he says. “Adderall calms me down and focuses me long enough to get through all the boring, repetitive stuff.”
Adderall, which is comprised of mixed amphetamine salts, provides users with hours of mental focus and intense motivation. In turn, these effects lead to better grades. With increasing pressure to perform well, its little wonder students seek out the drug often referred to as “Pink Magic” or “Brain Viagra”.
Although Joe was reluctant to discuss his source, he gave me a general idea of how ADHD medication is peddled on campus. “I know a guy who is prescribed Adderall but he quit taking them because his tolerance was so high. Now he sells them to me for three dollars a pill.” By black market standards, Joe is getting a bargain. Adderall generally sells for five to ten dollars a pill and can go for as much as $20 each during finals. If any virtue is to be seen from these events it is that students are placing more value on collegiate performance than on partying.
Still, the cons of using grade enhancing drugs may outweigh the pros. Adderall is the chemical first-cousin of two sinister street drugs: speed and crystal meth. Because of this, the potential for abuse and addiction is high for Adderall users who do not have a prescription. Students who take the drug illegally may find themselves unable to function in their daily routine without it. If their supplier decides to stop selling or loses his prescription, the student/addict may then resort to smoking crystal meth or snorting speed just to get by. NOTE: People who receive a doctor’s approval before taking Adderall can rest assured that they will experience absolutely none of the symptoms associated with non-medical amphetamine use.
While no one doubts that the pharmaceutical companies who manufacture Adderall (and its generic counterparts) have only pure intentions when they market their product to young people with ADHD, it is important for students who take this medication illegally to realize that they playing Russian Roulette with amphetamine addiction.
While horrific stories of students becoming “tweakers” (slang for amphetamine addict) and throwing their lives away because of Adderall use are plentiful, they go largely ignored. It is only through widespread awareness of the sinister nature of illegal Adderall use that students like Joe can become reformed. For the time being however, the youth are in truly in revolt.
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