Scannable+Essay


 * ==== Also known as smart drugs, study drugs, cognitive enhancers, academic steroids, nootropics. ====
 * ==== Consists of stimulants such as Adderall, Ritalin, Modafinil, Provigil, and other drugs that are commonly used to treat disorders such as ADD and ADHD. ====
 * ====Some h igh schoo l and university students are using these drugs to improve focus, alertness, and memory, and thus improve academic success. ====
 * ====Nootropics: a term coined by Giurgea in the 1960s to refer to drugs that facilitate learning, improve memory, increase the recall of materials, previously learned and protect the brain from 'physical and chemical intoxication'" (3, [|Source]). ====
 * ====There haven't been any long-term clinical trials in students, we don’t really know for sure if “smart drugs” actually improve academic performance. ====
 * ====These drugs have been shown to improve psychometric and neurophysiological function in clinical trials for elder patients who had mental decline and have been demonstrated to increase memory and learning time in mice in a number of studies… Yet, the actions of a number of cognitive enhancers are unpredictable in humans” (3, [|Source]). ====


 * ==== Not just student use, also people in the workplace trying to keep up with hectic schedules. ====
 * ==== Many feel that since these drugs are prescribed to patients with ADD, ADHD and various other disorders, they are safe for all to consume. ====
 * ===="A n FDA warning on Adderall’s label notes that 'amphetamines have a high potential for abuse' and can lead to dependence. (The label also mentions that adults using Adderall have reported serious cardiac problems)" ([|Source]). ====
 * ==== "When teens abuse prescription drugs, they often characterize their use of the drugs as responsible, controlled or safe with the perception that the drugs are safer than street drugs" ([|Source]). ====
 * ==== "Drug use in the adolescent population is not new but how they view drug use [is]" ([|Source]). ====


 * ====This trend of using drugs to stay focused and alert for academia has been around for ages. ====
 * ====French existentialist philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre "dosed himself with speed in order to finish 'Critique of Dialectical Reason'" ([|Source]). ====
 * ====The shift from illegal street drugs to prescription medication occurred because they’re easier to get. ====
 * ====Began in the 1980s with FDA approval of AIDS medication. These drugs were non-medically used as "intelligence boosters" (2, [|Source]). ====
 * ===="The majority of [American] teens (13.4 million) agree that prescription drugs are easier to get than illegal drugs" ([|Source]). ====
 * ====These medications are so widely prescribed by doctors that "the majority of teens get prescription drugs easily and for free often from friends or relatives" ([|Source]). ====
 * ====Many students who legally obtain prescription drugs for a personal medical condition experience the negative side effects like nervousness, headaches, insomnia, psycho-motor agitation, nausea, gastrointestinal distress, and decreased appetite, etc. and therefore do not always consume their entire prescription. This causes an opportunity for others to obtain the drug. A college senior states “I usually give it to my friends” ([|Source]). ====
 * ====Prescription medications do not necessarily have to be obtained from doctors or "dealers" since they can also be purchased over the internet. ====


 * ===="In 2005, 2.1 million [American] teens abused prescription drugs" ([|Source]). ====
 * ====Prescription drug addiction among teens is on the rise, especially now that these drugs are being used for academic gain. ====
 * ===="Within the the last 10 years, the number of [American] teens going into treatment for addiction to prescription drugs has increased by more than 300 percent" ([|Source]). ====

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Believe that these drugs are safer than illegal drugs
====<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Often influences by friends – you feel like everyone else is doing it so you do it just to keep up with the competition and the demands ====

Pharmaceutical companies state that they don’t promote “off label” use, yet they don’t implement preventative measures either.
==== “Pharmaceutical drug companies spend billions of dollars – some estimates include $23 billion annually of which $7 billion is spent on “direct-to-physicians” marketing – to market prescription drugs" ([|Source]) ====

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">3) What events and conflicts are shaping your issue at present?
Prescription drugs are on the rise, this may be due to increased pressures at school and influence of friends. Everything in our Network society is happening at an accelerated rate, which is causing individuals to feel like they need to keep up with our evolving information society. Competition from fellow students is a constant reminder of how these drugs can aid you.

Academically, extra-curricular, and socially
==== “Some students say they feel it is cheating and it puts pressure on them to feel they have to use these drugs when they don’t really want to,” said Barbara Sahakian, a professor of clinical neuropsychology at Cambridge university” ([|Source]). ====

==<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">4) Where does your group stand regarding this issue? What position are you going to be advocating? What would you like to have your target audience do about it? ==

- this growing problem is a major concern in both secondary and post-secondary education -We are trying to advocate the health risks involved -this is not something to be taken lightly -Prescription drugs have the same consequences and effects as illegal drugs -individuals should not turn to these drugs to use as memory and attention improvers if they don't have a condition -students feel the need to keep up with those taking these “smart drugs” - this contributes additional stress to the already demanding pressures of university.

-“Educational approaches and awareness activities help students when part of a comprehensive prevention approach, but these environmental strategies show promise in the battle against prescription drug abuse among college students” ([|Source]).

-We would like our target audience to develop an understanding of the significant side effects and addictive qualities of these “smart drugs”. -We hope to educate students and thus decrease their illegal use of prescription drugs, especially for academic gain.