RESEARCHING TWO NEW CAMPUS DRUGS

Study Aids Raise Cheating Suspicion; Non-Rx Sale Illegal

IAMI -- Two prescription stimulants widely bought and sold on campuses
across the country are drawing criticism from doctors, law enforcement
officials, ethicists, and fellow students.

The drugs, Ritalin and Adderall, are used illegally to enhance studying by
as many as 1 in 5 college students, according to a study published in The
Johns Hopkins News-Letter in November.

At the University of Miami, administrators have put up fliers and posters
warning students of adverse effects from misuse of the drugs. The
University of Florida is studying the level of use.

Adderall and Ritalin, specialists say, help students to focus longer and
get work done quicker.

''It's a miracle drug,'' said Matt, 19, a finance major at the University
of Florida who grew up in Fort Lauderdale. ''It is unbelievable how my
concentration boosts when I use Adderall.''

Matt, who did not want to be further identified for fear that he might be
charged with a crime, says Adderall use improved his grades. He says he
went from a 2.75 grade point average in his first semester to a 3.25 in the
second.

The small blue or orange pills are typically prescribed for children and
adults with attention-deficit disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder. But their effects on normal adults make it sound like a wonder drug.

''Caffeine is fine. This is better,'' said Dr. Eric Heiligenstein, director
of clinical psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin. ''Students are able
to accumulate more information in a shorter time frame. These drugs keep
you awake longer. They minimize fatigue and help maintain a high
performance level.''

But the drugs, chemical cousins of cocaine, can cause increased heart and
respiratory rates, elevated blood pressure, sleep deprivation, dry mouth,
and lack of appetite. They can lead to withdrawal symptoms. And, in rare
cases, they have been linked to aggression and cardiac arrhythmia.

''When the effects of the drugs wane, there is a tendency for some
individuals to crash and experience withdrawal,'' said William Dorfman, a
professor of psychology at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Fla.

Ritalin and Adderall also can serve as gateway drugs for further substance
abuse. And according to a University of Miami study on laboratory mice,
they could make cocaine addiction harder to beat.

That has not dissuaded many college users, even though use without a
prescription is a felony that can result in jail time.

With 4 to 6 percent of Americans diagnosed with attention deficit disorder,
the drugs are widely prescribed and easy to come by. Federal drug enforcers
list Adderall and Ritalin among their most tightly regulated prescription
drugs.

''The abuse of these substances is of great concern to us; they have a high
potential for dependency and abuse,'' said Rogene Waite of the federal Drug
Enforcement Administration.

The underground price for a standard 10- or 20-milligram dose of Adderall
or Ritalin is about $5 or $6, students say. Finding the drug is rarely a
challenge.

''I just walk down the hall in my dorm and knock on a friend's door,'' said
Matt, the University of Florida student.

Some students who don't use the drug say use of the pills is a form of
cheating.

''I think it's deceptive,'' said Ramin Baghai, 25, a master's of business
administration student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ''A GPA is
what employers and graduate schools use to select students. It is supposed
to be indicative of your natural academic ability. . . . If someone is
passing off their drug-enhanced GPA for a natural one, it's unfair.''

''They can be viewed as brain steroids, because in in some way the drugs
give students an unfair advantage,'' Heiligenstein said. ''The productivity
levels are so much higher when comparing with students who do not use the
medication.''

Other students disagree. The pills, they say, are just as fair as hiring a
private tutor or paying for test preparation services.

''These drugs are study tools, just like tutors and caffeine pills,'' said
Kevin Shulman, 22, a University of Central Florida senior. ''We use what's
available to us. It's not cheating.''

Some worry that future lawyers, doctors, and business professionals are
committing felonies before they have begun practice.

''This is considered unethical behavior, and it is treated very
negatively,'' said Judy Rushlow, assistant director of Florida Lawyers
Assistants. ''We are aware that these drugs are being used as a study aid
by university and law students. These individuals run the risk of getting
caught and damaging their careers.''

Evidence of Adderall or Ritalin abuse can hinder law students from gaining
admission to the bar association, and students known to have abused drugs
are evaluated and put through hearings.

Campus law enforcement officials say they are doing their part to curb the
problem. ''These days, we are a lot more suspicious of these kinds of
abuses,'' said Sergeant Raul Pedroso of the University of Miami police.
''There is a lot more attention paid to what is in a prescription bottle
now than a few years ago.''