The logic surrounding Evan Schwartz's guest column in Friday's Post is flawed at best, dangerous at worst. I only find myself thankful he is not an OU student. The suggestion that Ritalin, or any brand name of methylphenidate, should be offered over the counter merely because students would have an increased ability to improve their grades suggests we begin a slippery-slope analysis of what should truly be a prescription drug in our nation. Given that Schwartz relies on no scientific evidence and only a 2004
Harris poll to examine methylphenidate, let us look at the actual statistics to answer his burning question: Why aren't pills like Ritalin or Adderall available for all students?
Methylphenidate is classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule II CNS Stimulant (with the same effects as amphetamine, methamphetamine and cocaine). Abuse of methylphenidate leads to a strong psychic reliance and eventually the need to either snort or inject the drug to gain the desired effects. Methylphenidate is NOT a simple study drug; it is, instead, a highly addicting drug that when abused has been shown to have severe medical consequences, including death. This is a drug that can easily cause severe medical trauma if not taken as prescribed. Further, even when used as prescribed, methylphenidate has been mentioned as a prominent pill to be used at pill parties with young Americans.
Beyond the actual effects of methylphenidate, consider the trends on
prescription drug abuse deaths in the state of Ohio at present. In 2006 and 2007, for the first time, the Ohio Department of Health has announced that unintentional drug/medication-related poisonings overtook motor vehicle traffic as the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the state. More people died in 2006 and 2007 from overdosing on prescription drugs than due to traffic accidents. From 1999 to 2006, the Ohio Department of Health has found a 249 percent increase in these poisoning deaths, far surpassing any other category of accidental death (unintentional falls has seen a 75 percent increase to rate second for comparison).
In regards to cost, the estimated
economic impact of these deaths is $3.6 billion due to medical, work loss, and quality of life loss costs, based on the Children's Safety Network Economics & Data Analysis Resource Center.
So to answer Why aren't pills like Ritalin or Adderall available for all students? for Mr. Schwartz:
1) Methylphenidate is not merely a study-aid, but instead a serious drug with similar effects to cocaine and methamphetamines.
2) In Ohio, we find that prescription drug poisoning has become the leading cause of unintentional injury death.
3) The trend toward prescription drug abuse demonstrate that the situation is likely only going to become worse,
particularly with reductions in state funding to help with substance abuse treatment.
Thankfully, when the Food and Drug Administration determines whether something should be regulated by a doctor, they use a little more hard science then the latest Harris Poll. Mr. Schwartz, before you advocate making dangerous drugs easily accessible again, I suggest you do the same.
Will Miller is a professor in political
science at Ohio University.
4 Opinion
Letter to the Editor
