Drugs. Medication, hobbies, and possible sources of income all attribute to the definition of a drug. The classification of the word “drug” has various directions, as well as multiple meanings. Today, society faces the tremendously critical challenge of prescription drug abuse. From painkillers to anti-depressants, opioids to inhalants, stimulant neuro-enhancers to depressants, drugs have developed into a nationwide normality, regardless of their illegal nature. More importantly, is the increasing presence of stimulants within the American education system. The presence of neuro-enhancing stimulants in academia has become overwhelmingly common. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, a chronic condition marked by persistent inattention, hyperactivity, and sometimes impulsivity (“Understanding ADHD- the Basics” 1). Explicitly prescribed for ADHD related impairments, stimulants expedite the mental processes of an individual, stimulating responses from the central nervous system. The use of such stimulants by those who do not medically require the intended effects gain significant advantages over students who do not take the specified prescriptions. Ingestion of nootropic stimulants without the medical need for chemical assistance from a prescription drug increases individual medical risk, as well as a profound academic advantage over other students. 

Popularly consumed by students, the most commonly recognized neuro-enhancer stimulants include Adderall, Vyvanse, and Ritalin. Widely well-known by educators and the education system as a whole, these stimulants prove a favorite amongst high school and college-aged students. Their increased presence on college campuses has heightened attention upon academic integrity standards and ethical appeals. Offices of student integrity as well as the student health programs within the nation’s universities have ventured into the exponentially growing ingestions of amphetamine medications. Common throughout the nation, the usage of amphetamines to treat ADHD has heightened cognition regarding the ethical and medical effects. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder exemplifies 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). The ages that children are being prescribed specified prescription amphetamines is heavily up for debate, involving the parent and doctor communities. Adolescents who associate alongside an individual who identifies with ADHD and its symptoms from childhood will more than likely try to associate as well. Frequently compared with other conditions to ‘lessen’ the disproval of taking medications for another condition, ADHD is used to coin the ‘symptoms’ of the patient. Frequently falsely attributing symptoms of ADD or ADHD provides individual justification for consuming an unprescribed prescription. Commonly interchanged with ADD, or attention deficit disorder, ADHD itself proves 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 synthetic. ADHD relates to a chemical imbalance in the brain. Increasingly overgeneralized, the diagnosis of ADHD has more and more students classifying themselves as part of the affected population. Diagnoses of the disorder have become a caricature of sorts, defining itself as an everyday disorder with exceedingly common side effects. Some individuals may overgeneralize themselves as an affected individual, a reaction to being unable to concentrate, or finding it hard to organize thoughts. 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 on collected government data in 2007, more than 1.6 million people in the United States had used prescription stimulants non-medically during the previous 12 months (Stix 47). The statistics regarding the number of prescriptions continues to rise, as more and more students go to school. 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 ensure success 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). Amphetamines, just like many other drugs, have specific 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 unprescribed is a grave concern, affecting millions within the population. As daily consumptions rise, the dosages grow larger-the threshold upon which the medication acts upon will continue to rise. As a result, the number of addictions will continue to skyrocket, as those who take them without medical instruction become 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. Proliferating prescription amounts will contribute to rising addiction rates. 

Safety concerns regarding the consumption of stimulants has proved itself ubiquitous. Some may support the usage, claiming that there are no noticeable 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 the prolonged use of such drugs if not prescribed, as consumption of such pharmaceuticals without medical advice may result in severe bodily harm and cardiovascular damage. Prolonged usages over an exceeding amount of time will increase the dosages of the prescriptions. The threshold of an individual rises, along with the biological tolerance. Therefore, providing the ultimate basis for addiction. Belonging to the same classification family, both cocaine and amphetamines identify under the subset of stimulants. However, as amphetamines are made synthetically, cocaine is a naturally occurring substance. Generally associated with addiction and negative health effects, it is crucial to understand that amphetamines obtain the same grave nature as cocaine. Recreational use of amphetamines and cocaine by young adults, around ages 18 to 25, significantly boosts the risk of stroke, with amphetamine abuse associated with the highest risk (UT Southwestern Medical Center 1). Similar to those of Ritalin, Adderall, and Vyvanse, the risks associated with cocaine and other opioid substances carry severe health concerns. Data collected in 2003 showed that more than 14 percent of hemorrhagic strokes and 14 percent of ischemic strokes, caused by misuse of drugs like amphetamines, cocaine, cannabis, and tobacco (UT Southwestern Medical Center 1). Despite their risks and attributions to life-threatening health effects, amphetamines are still rapidly and conveniently prescribed to patients. The increased number of easily written prescriptions as well as non-prescribed ingestion is a significant component nurturing the rate of addiction and health problems. The unexpected nature of consuming a medication to which an individual is not prescribed endangers the individual, exposing themselves tremendously to grave health effects. 

Within classrooms, the side effects of amphetamines present obvious signals. Higher performances on exams and quicker thought processes justify just two of many outwardly observed effects and behaviors of ingesting amphetamine. The ethical question of their usage within an academic setting has proven itself controversial, as well as widely debated. The topic of whether or not amphetamines should still be prescribed and the age to which children are prescribed has developed itself into a heavily debated topic. Pharmacological treatment remains one of the most common, yet most controversial, forms of ADHD treatment (Pierangelo, Roger, and George A. Giuliani 44). Used arguably 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, neuro-enhancers, 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 neuro-enhancers “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 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). The overall improvement in the realms of education and employment by neuro-enhancing stimulants are considered an exception to overcome difficulty regarding slow mental processing, difficulty focusing, trouble with boredom, and short attention span. 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). Some researchers and scientists attribute the usage of ‘cognitive enhancers’ as “wearing glasses to improve vision,” (Stix 49), stating that their usages should remain unchallenged. The dangerous nature of drugs, still complying with the attributed health effects, 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 nootropic and cognitive enhancing prescription drugs is awareness education, within the education system itself. Prevention education involves arming the public with a full understanding of the harmful consequences, both physical and psychological, that drugs can produce (Hein 100). Knowledge of the long-term physical and psychological effects of taking neuro-enhancers while not prescribed within both the educational community and society as a whole is an important factor to success in calling action to the issue. The kind of education needed to combat drug abuse is broad, borrowing the “three E’s” from the safety field – education, enforcement, and engineering (Hein 100). Instilling knowledge, conditioning attitudes and influencing behavior is the central core (Hein 100). The eradication of drug abuse 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. 

Measures to prevent the progression of universal consumption of these prescriptions must be taken, in the 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 additional 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 solidify a solution. The use of prescription drugs such as stimulants within the classroom, while not prescribed, will continue to remain dangerous, dishonest, and unfair. 
