Rachel Rogers Adderall

My research paper is on the misuse of Adderall on children but this article that I found from the media also relates to my topic in a way. The New York Times released an article on December 1, 2012 called “Drug of Focus Is at Center of Suspensions”. This article is about recent NFL stars that have misusing Adderall, which is ADHD medicine. The article says that NFL players have been taking Adderall lately whether they need it or not and they are failing drug tests because of it. This also has led to a record setting year for NFL drug suspensions. At least 7 out of the 21 suspensions this season were related to Adderall. According to the DEA Adderall is a controlled substance because it is particularly addictive. Dr. Leah Lagos is a New York sports psychologist who says that the believed raise in Adderall use by professional athletes mimics the use of it by college students. Athletes take it to fight fatigue and exhaustion. I do not think that this has really hit the public strong and fast for a few reasons, one being that the NFL is not allowed to announce what drugs players are using when they are suspended. This causes it to not be as huge of a scandal as it might be. This really goes along with my paper though because the fact that it is banned from the NFL shows that it is the type of substance that can be really dangerous and it can be abused. If these grown men who are active and work out constantly can be harmed by the misuse of this type of medication then young children could definitely be negatively affected by the drug. This article also shows that the use of Adderall has in fact become an epidemic in our society.