Drugs- medications, hobbies, sources of income, etc. The classification of the word “drug” has various directions, and multiple meanings. Today, our society faces the tremendously critical challenge of prescription drug abuse. From painkillers to anti-depressants, opioids to inhalants, stimulant neuroenhancers to depressants, drugs have developed into a nationwide normality, regardless of their illegal nature. Specifically, the presence of neuroenhancer stimulants within college campuses and various educational grounds have become overwhelmingly common. Prescribed specifically for ADHD related impairments, stimulants expedite the mental processes of an individual, stimulating responses from the central nervous system. The usage of such stimulants put those who do not require the intended affects at a significant advantage over students who do not take the specified prescriptions. Ingestion of neuroenhancer stimulants puts those who do not require chemical assistance from a prescription drug at risk, as well at a possible advantage over other students. 

The most commonly recognized ADHD neuroenhancer stimulants include Adderall, Vyvanse, and Ritalin. Recognized by most, these stimulants are a popular topic amongst many who are of high school and college-aged individuals. Their increased presence within college campuses amongst students has heightened attention upon academic integrity and ethical appeals. Considered common throughout the nation, ADHD is treated with the usage of amphetamines. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a rapidly increasing diagnosis amongst the nation’s youth. According to the definition of ADHD by the UXL Complete Health Resource, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a relatively easily recognizable diagnosis for many American children (Attention-Deficit 98). Frequently compared with other disorders to ‘lessen’ the disproval of taking medications for another condition, ADHD is ‘thrown around’. To justify the consumption of amphetamines, it is frequently observed that people attribute their symptoms of ADD to ADHD. Commonly interchanged with ADD, or attention deficit disorder, ADHD is an entirely different entity. Specific to ADHD, is the characteristic of hyperactivity (Johnson 1). Specifically engineered to increase the amount of dopamine in the frontal lobe to regulate impulsivity and attention (Fitzgerald 62), amphetamines are fully manufactured. Defined as a hyperactive disorder, ADHD relates to a chemical imbalance within the brain. The universal usage of the diagnosis of ADHD is generalized, as more and more students continue to be classified as being affected. Diagnoses of the disorder have become a parody of sorts, as some individuals may overgeneralize themselves as an affected individual, as a reaction to being unable to concentrate. As a result, the increased usage of amphetamines has developed into an insatiable request for prescriptions. Estimates based upon incomplete figures suggest that seventy tablets of amphetamines are produced legally in the United States for every man, woman and child; almost three times the estimated yearly production of barbiturates (Seevers 7).  An overwhelming upsurge of diagnoses has raised a red flag within the medical community. Based upon collected government data in 2007, more than 1.6 million people in the United States had used prescription stimulants nonmedically during the previous 12 months (Stix 47). Shockingly, the highest consumption rates of the powerful stimulants occur within the boundaries of American college campuses. On some campuses, a quarter of the students have reported using the drugs (Stix 48). The conformant nature of consuming stimulants such as Ritalin, Adderall, and Vyvanse is becoming increasingly prominent, as students rely on them to be successful in their academic pursuits, as “College students routinely borrow a few pills from a friend’s Ritalin prescription to pull an all-nighter” (Stix 46). Just like any other drug, amphetamines are identified with distinct street names. Amphetamines have been referenced to as brain pills, brain ticklers, coast-to-coasts, morning shots, etc. (Breecher 12).  The shockingly increasing number of those who consume stimulant prescription drugs that truly are not prescribed is a grave concern. The number of addictions will continue to rise, as those who take them without prescriptions will be dependent upon them for the minimal level of achievement. Due to the increasing of commonplace regarding the act of consumption, the quota of prescriptions will advance. 

Argued by many, the safety concerns regarding the consumption of stimulants is up for debate. Some may support the usage, claiming that there are no prominent health effects by consuming a consistent dosage. Just like any other prescription drug, amphetamines such as Ritalin, Adderall and Vyvanse have specific thresholds and dosage regulations. Over prolonged usage, amphetamine users risk cardiovascular complications, seizures, hallucinations, and addiction (Stix, 49). Healthcare professionals warn against prolonged usage of the drug if not prescribed; furthermore, consumption of a drug that is not intended for a specific individual is dangerous, as the adverse effects may be completely unknown. Even more serious, is the increased rate of cardiovascular impairment, and fatal reactions of the body towards long-term usage. Increasing rates of amphetamine and cocaine usage by young adults significantly boosts their risk of stroke, with amphetamine abuse associated with the greatest risk (UT Southwestern Medical Center 1). Both belonging to the same classification family, cocaine and amphetamines are under the subset of stimulants. The risks associated with cocaine are congruent with those of Ritalin, Adderall, and Vyvanse. Data collected in 2003 showed that more than 14 percent of hemorrhagic strokes and 14 percent of ischemic (deprivation of oxygen) strokes were caused by abuse of drugs, including amphetamines, cocaine, cannabis, and tobacco (UT Southwestern Medical Center 1). The grave nature by which amphetamines are described provided their risks proves the essence of danger to which they can be attributed. The increasingly extraneous number of prescriptions that are written with ease, as well as unprescribed ingestion will be a large component feeding towards the leading rates of addiction and significant health defects. The unexpected nature of consuming a medication in which an individual is not prescribed puts the individual in an extremely unsafe position. 

Within classrooms, the effects of amphetamines are commonly seen. Higher performances on exams and quicker thought processes are just two of many outwardly observed effects of ingesting an amphetamine. The ethical question of their usage within an academic setting has proven to be controversial, and is widely debated. Pharmacological treatment remains one of the most common, yet most controversial, forms of ADHD treatment (Pierangelo, Roger, and George A. Giuliani 44). Argued to be used for “advancing the brain further than it has ever gone before”, and “exploring a new way to think”, amphetamines have both audiences of approval, and disproval. The debate over alternative usage of the prescriptions is developing into a trend, as “obsession with cognitive enhancers is evidenced in news articles hailing the arrival of what are variously called smart drugs, neuroenhancers, nootropics or even ‘Viagra for the brain’; From this perspective, an era of enhancement has already arrived” (Stix 46). Using the effects as a reason to support their argument, people in favor of neuroenhancers “swear that the drugs do more than induce the wakefulness of a caramel macchiato, providing instead the laser-like focus needed to absorb the nuances of organic chemistry or explain the esoterica of collateralized debt obligations” (Stix 47). A new train of thought about the prescription drugs has been hinged, as “some ethicists and neuroscientists have raised the prospect of making these drugs widely available for enhancement of healthy people” (Stix 47). Using the ideas of mental progression as their information backing, some neuroscientists have entertained the idea of allowing prescriptions to be widely available, open to the entirety of society. Citing a public recompense from their effects, “Taking a highly provocative stand, a group of ethicists and neuroscientists…suggested the possibility of making psychostimulants widely available to the able-minded improving performance in the classroom or the board room, provided the drugs are judged to be safe and effective enough for healthy people” (Stix 48). Seen as an overall improvement within both the education and economic sectors, neuroenhancing stimulants are considered an exception to overcome difficulty, as described by the group of ethicists and neuroscientists. The argument backs itself by “citing research demonstrating the benefits of these drugs on memory and various forms of mental processing, the investigators equated pharmaceutical enhancement with “education, good health habits, and information technology-ways that our uniquely innovative species tries to improve itself”” (Stix 48). Sometimes related to “wearing glasses to improve vision” (Stix 49), the usage of ‘cognitive enhancers’ should just be unchallenged, as many researchers and scientists argue. The dangerous nature of drugs, which are still classified as drugs, are not challenged as much as one would think. James Swanson, a researcher at the University of California, Irvine, states, “I don’t think people understand the risks that occur when you have a large number of people accessing these drugs; some small percentage will likely become addicted, and some people may actually see mental performance decline…that’s the reason why I am opposed to their general use” (Stix 49). The solution to expelling the controversial usage of neuroenhancing drugs is education, within the education system. Education for prevention involves arming the public with a full understanding of the harmful effects, both physical and psychological, that drugs can produce (Hein 100). Stating and accentuating the long term physiological and psychological effects of consistently taking these neuroenhancers while not prescribed will bring the issue to commonality of knowledge. The kind of education we need to combat drug abuse is a broad kind which borrows the three E’s from the safety field: education, enforcement, and engineering (Hein 100). Teaching to instill knowledge, condition attitudes and influence behavior is the central core (Hein 100). The eradication of drug abuse regarding those of amphetamines lies among the recognition of its dangerous effects and longevity. Joining many ethical discussions, the commonplace consumption of neuroenhancers such as Ritalin, Adderall, and Vyvanse has become a prominent topic amongst health professionals and students alike. 

To prevent the progression of the universal usage of these drugs, measures must be taken, in form of stricter, further rigid guidelines and regulations. Health organizations across the United States must attempt to curve the inevitably increasing addiction rate by withholding further testing for ADHD, to decrease the drastic prescription rate. Alongside, college campuses and schools nationwide must also do the same; educating and testing. Ensuring academic consistency amongst a student body free of performance enhancing drugs is crucial. Foremost promoting academic integrity within the student body will provide the underlying foundation to which a solution will be found. The usage of prescription drugs such as stimulants within the classroom while unprescribed is dangerous, dishonest, and unfair. 
