© 2011 N.C. State Student Media
With finals right around the corner, we’re all reviewing our academic position in our classes and, absent of the extremely gifted, you’ll need to study for finals to get the grades you want. Read the guides of studying from Harvard, Dartmouth, or even N.C. State, and each will spell out some form of the ideal method of studying. But seriously, who has the time or the fortitude for any of that? A good number of us will opt for alternatives that require as little work as possible when studying, simultaneously accommodating our busy schedules and lack of motivation. Among these alternatives are Adderall-induced cram sessions.
Adderall is a prescribed stimulant with the labeled use for treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The use of Adderall in academic testing is ripe with controversy. Adderall use is often attacked at the University from three fronts: health, legal and academic fraud. Each of the fronts has some merit; however, none has such a weight as to draw your concern to another’s use of Adderall.
The Food and Drug Administration provides a list of all of the side effects of Adderall, ranging from acne to death. As serious as the health risks are, there are also health risks involved with many acceptable activities, aside from the use of Adderall. Smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and having sex have health risks, but we let these activities continue with the notion that those engaged know the risks. If people are aware of the risks of behaviors that primarily affect themselves and still choose to engage, who are we to stop them?
The Drug Enforcement Administration classifies Adderall as a schedule two controlled substance, putting it in the same category as cocaine and PCP. The North Carolina Controlled Substances Act lands you in jail for 45 days for first time possession of Adderall and four to five months for the next possession. My rebuttal follows the previous logic concerning health risks. Laws do not produce categorical imperatives; they are just another factor to be considered when making a decision. If Adderall users are aware of its legal ramifications, then I see no reason to call for them to stop their usage as the government already has.
Regardless of the first two attacks on Adderall, all we really care about is the third attack: Adderall is academic fraud. An article from the Journal Sentinel outlines Adderall as a stimulant that increases one’s focus, resolve and memory, which are all necessities for studying and testing. What it doesn’t do is sneak your notes or the answer key in front of you during your test. It doesn’t take the test for you; it does none of the activities we associate with cheating.
All Adderall does at times is enable you to perform better academically than you would otherwise. The same benefits are derived from another legal stimulant–caffeine. According to the Journal of Orthomolecular Psychiatry, caffeine increases one’s focus, memory and fluidity of thought. Even with these similarities we would never accuse a classmate shotgunning red bulls at 3 a.m. of academic fraud. If Adderall were legal or caffeine illegal, would we really see a difference between their uses for academic purposes? Probably not.
Until the University sets a standard level of cognition that we all must study and test at, I see no reason to disparage the attempts of students to reach their full cognitive potential as long as they know the risks. It is up to you to decide if the risks associated with Adderall are worth the potential GPA boost.