Academic doping on and off campus
BY: Ashley Feist
The Weekly Albertan Drugs used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sleepiness are being used by students on and off campus for other purposes. “Nootropics?—drugs intended to help people with cognitive problems—are now being used in Canadian universities and colleges to improve academic performance. According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, there has been a sharp increase in the misuse of prescription drugs, with the most popular being opiates and stimulants. Thousands of high school, college and university students are using stimulants such as Ritalin, Adderall and Dexedrine. SAITSA President Colin Rose said that though he has never considered this to be a problem at SAIT, it is always nerve-racking to hear about people using drugs that haven’t been prescribed to them. “They are missing the important diagnosis component that keeps us safe,? he said. Nikki Fabrio, a third-year Mount Royal University student, said that she takes Dexedrine on a day-to-day basis for medical reasons, but can see how students take advantage of the stimulants for other purposes. “I have friends who do drugs like Dex and Adderall to help them study or get homework done,? she said. “The majority of them can do three to four assignments at once and get them done efficiently, but that’s no excuse.? A survey conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto concluded that 21 per cent of students had tried prescription medication for non-medical purposes at least once in the past year. Only last year did the Academy of Medical Science caution that ‘off label’ use of nootropics was likely to increase, saying that the expected rise of ‘off label’ use is “borne out? by the current advertising of cognitive drugs through the internet. “I would never get desperate enough to have to take a pill do to my homework, never mind buy it off the internet,? said first-year SAIT student Nina Mercia. “The chances that it might not even be what you’re expecting is scary.? While there are thousands of chemicals that could be perceived to have nootropic effects, Fabrio said that the most frequently used drugs in academic settings are easy enough to find. “You can find the pills online, but the people I know that get them will go through friends or classmates who have a prescription,? she said. “I’ve heard of other people looking up the side effects for ADHD and going to the nearest walk-in clinic or their family doctors to get their own prescription.? According to health care consultancy IMS Canada, more than 1.3 million Ritalin prescriptions were handed out in Canada in 2008, a seven-fold increase since 1992. | 
