Pubdate: Tue, 20 Feb 2001
Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)
Copyright: 2001 The Baltimore Sun, a Times Mirror Newspaper.
Contact:  501 N. Calvert Street P.0. Box 1377 Baltimore, MD 21278
Fax: (410) 315-8912
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Author: Larry Atkins

SCHOOLS NEED TO CRACK DOWN ON RITALIN USE

PHILADELPHIA --Ritalin is a godsend for children with attention deficit 
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a neurologicalimpairment that derails 
concentration.

But it's not just the class troublemaker or fidgety kid who is taking the 
drug these days. Ritalin is becoming a popular recreational drug among 
young people. It's time for the schools to get tougher to help prevent the 
use of Ritalin for pleasure.

=46ederal officials recently began investigating public schools to address 
theft, illicit sale, and abuse of ADHD medications. The Drug Enforcement 
Administration plans to distribute brochures to schools, recommending 
safety measures to avoid Ritalin abuse.

ADHD afflicts about 6 million children in the United States, or up to 5 
percent of those up to age 18, and 2 million children take Ritalin 
regularly. Prescriptions for Ritalin have increased by as much as 700 
percent since 1990. It is a powerful stimulant and has been classified in 
the same category as cocaine, methadone and methamphetamine. It allows 
people who are easily distracted or hyperactive to focus their attention 
and calm down.

Ritalin is generally considered safe when taken properly, with side effects 
such as nervousness, dizziness and insomnia. But the drug is addictive and 
can have serious side effects when snorted or injected, including psychotic 
episodes, strokes, hypothermia, hypertension, or seizures, and can even be 
fatal.

In 1994, a Virginia teen died after snorting Ritalin on top of beer. Since 
1995, there have been about 2,000 emergency-room admissions per year 
nationwide for drug abuse involving Ritalin.

The drug has emerged on high school and college campuses and playgrounds 
nationwide -- mainly because it's cheap -- $2 to $20 a pill -- and can be 
crushed and snorted for a modest high. Many college students take it to 
stay up late to study. It has been nicknamed "Vitamin R," "Smarties" and 
"Poor Man's Cocaine."

The DEA and the U.N. International Narcotics Control Board have expressed 
concern about teen abuse of Ritalin as a street drug. A 1999 survey of 
6,000 Massachusetts public school students showed that 13 percent of high 
school students reported they used Ritalin recreationally.

The DEA reports that Ritalin is among the top 10 drugs in pharmaceutical 
theft and has found growing abuse and illegal trafficking.

A recent study in Wisconsin and Minnesota found that 34 percent of public 
school students ages 11 to 18 who take ADHD medication reported being 
approached to sell or trade their drugs.

Part of the solution may come through strict enforcement of how Ritalin is 
distributed in schools. A recent study in Maine showed that 63 percent of 
staff members who give out drugs in schools have two hours of training or 
less. In response, the Maine legislature passed a requirement to ensure 
that all schools train unlicensed staff to dispense medicine, according to 
the Associated Press.

Schools should have strict policies regarding how medicine is stored and 
dispensed in schools, including how the drugs are logged in, stored, and 
given out. In Kanawha County, W.Va., students are required to give their 
medicine to the school nurse upon entering the building, and they must come 
to the office at a designated time so the nurse can observe the student 
swallowing the pill, according to the Charleston Gazette. If a student is 
caught showing Ritalin pills to a friend or if it is found in a backpack, 
the student will be suspended for five days. If the student has three drug 
policy violations, they are expelled for a year.

Similarly, colleges shouldn't ignore Ritalin abuse on campus. They should 
have seminars warning students about the danger of using Ritalin as a 
recreational drug, and students found possessing the drug without a 
prescription on campus should be punished.

Another solution may lie in the initial decision to prescribe Ritalin.

Obviously, kids who have ADHD benefit tremendously from taking Ritalin, and 
the drug has helped many people lead productive lives. But it shouldn't be 
treated as a panacea.

In our society, it seems that the cure for every illness is another pill. 
It's an easy trap for doctors, nurses, and teachers to fall into when 
dealing with kids who have a condition that is often hard to diagnose. 
However, you shouldn't push pills down people's throats. Using Ritalin 
isn't like taking aspirin for a headache; it is a long-range proposition 
that should be accompanied by other means such as behavior modification 
therapy and psychotherapy.

What is even worse is the growing use of Ritalin 'just for kicks." The 
trend of today's students popping Ritalin pills like Pez candies to get a 
buzz is reminiscent of giving people the pleasure drug "soma" in Aldous 
Huxley's "Brave New World." Save the drug for those who really need it.

Larry Atkins is a lawyer and writer.
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