THE PILLS PEDDLERS

Youngsters prescribed a controversial hyperactivity drug are peddling
the pills to schoolfriends in Middlesbrough, it was confirmed today.

And children are also suffering at the hands of bullies, who are
forcing them to hand over their Ritalin medication, which can produce
a cocaine-type high.

Experts believe the tablets could be changing hands for up to #10 a
time for their euphoric or appetite-suppressing effects.

Education chiefs in Stockton, Redcar and Cleveland and Hartlepool say
they have no evidence of the drug changing hands in their schools.

Today Dave Woodhouse, head of psychology at Teesside University, said:
"It is very similar to cocaine and in some ways it is more effective
than cocaine, for example, it stays in the brain longer.

"The abuse is nothing new. It started in the early '60s but no study
has been done in terms of the level of abuse.

"But I gave a talk to a group of school teachers and asked how many of
them knew about Ritalin being sold between children at school.

"Ninety per cent of them put their hands up and said they had some
experience of it."

Ritalin - or methylphenidate - is a medication prescribed for children
who have an abnormally high level of activity or attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder - ADHD.

The drug is a central nervous system stimulant with effects similar
to, but stronger than, caffeine and less potent than
amphetamines.

Ritalin is said to have a calming effect on hyperactive children and a
focusing effect on those with ADHD.

Opponents of the widespread use of the drug fear it may have
unpleasant side-effects, leaving some children robotic, lethargic,
depressed, or withdrawn.

The late Professor Steve Baldwin from Teesside University was opposed
to the use of Ritalin and ran the drug-free Cactus Clinic at Teesside
University for children diagnosed with ADHD.

His final legacy - published by his colleagues after his tragic death
in the Selby train crash - also claimed that Ritalin was being
distributed in schools in an ad-hoc way.

The drug is not licensed for people under six, but doctors have
prescribed it to children as young as 15 months. And it is now on the
Drug Enforcement Agency's top ten list of most stolen prescription
drugs.

Dave Johnson, head of inclusion at Middlesbrough Council, said: "We
are aware there is a market for Ritalin tablets. What the current
state of play is, we are unsure. At one point, we believe it was being
sold for #10 a tablet."