When
you hear the phrase “performance enhancing drugs” most likely anabolic
steroids, human growth hormone, or maybe erythropoietin come to mind. They
bring negative connotations of cheating and scandal. If performance enhancing
drugs for the body bring about this reaction, why shouldn't performance
enhancing drugs of the mind do the same? Adderall is an amphetamine in the drug
class of stimulants that is the drug of choice for individuals who have been
diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD). Physiologically, Adderall
increases alertness, reduces fatigue and drowsiness, causes excitement, motor
restlessness, euphoria, and excitement. That being said it is easy to see why
more people than just those diagnosed with ADHD are abusing Adderall. This stimulant
gives students a “zeroed in” focus and allows them to stay awake and alert much
longer than they would without the drug and make better grades then those who
are not using a performance enhancer.
It
comes as no surprise that Adderall is becoming increasingly abused in high
schools and then in universities around the country. According to the
Monitoring the Future Study, in 2012 “One drug class that showed some sign of
increasing use this year was Adderall, but only among 12th graders” (Johnston,
L., O’Malley, P., Bachman, J., Schulenberg, J., 2012). Adderall also has the
possibility for negative side effects including psychosis, hallucinations,
insomnia, and dependence. Performance enhancing drugs with negative side
effects are not allowed in athletics, why should they be allowed in academics?
I
am aware that high school athletic drug testing is not even nationwide, so
proposing academic drug testing might be farfetched. Instead of consequence
management, I am proposing the idea of enforcing randomized Adderall drug
testing in high schools throughout the country. With the increasing pressure
and difficulty to get into college, it should be expected that the abuse of
Adderall will only rise and carry on into universities. Adderall abuse does not
compare with other abused drugs so preventive measures are necessary to keep
this statistic low. Abusing a prescriptive drug to get ahead in academics is
cheating and should be treated as such with the nipping in the bud before it
gets out of control.
Adderall
drug screening would take the form of a urine test. Adderall is detectable in
urine for up to 4 days after use. Therapeutic use of Adderall is around .2 mg/L
and therefore anything higher than this can be considered abuse (Addiction
Blog, 2012). An example of a lethal addiction to academic success comes from
Rick and Kathy Fee whose son, Richard Fee, became addicted to Adderall. Richard
was admitted into a psychiatric hospital in 2011 and then hung himself not much
longer after when his Adderall prescription ran out. Richard began using
Adderall in college when he faked the symptoms of ADHD and was given a
prescription. Richard was using Adderall to get ahead in his academics, but the
psychotic properties of the drug got the best of him. If anyone knows the
devastation that Adderall addiction can cause it is Rick and Kathy Fee. Stories
like that of the Fee's sheds light on the ugly side effects of Adderall and
could dissuade students from abusing Adderall for a possible academic payout.
These real life examples could be used as an introduction to the new program
and maybe dissuade students from Adderall abuse. For those "that
would never happen to me" folk randomized Adderall drug testing surely
would.
While
cheating in academics is a concern, plagiarizing or copying someone else’s
answers do not have the severe health effects that Adderall does. Cheating is
an impermissible problem, but protecting children’s health is detrimental. As a
student, I am well aware of the ease of obtaining Adderall and the prevalence
of abuse but would love to hear other opinions!
References
The National Institute on Drug Abuse, (2012). Monitoring the future study: a national
survey by Johnston, L., O’Malley, P., Bachman, J., and Schulenberg, J. Michigan: Institute For Social Research
Addiction Blog (2012). Does Adderall show up on drug tests? [blog] Retrieved from
