Feb 15th 2011

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A K LEO T H E

Calling all Imagineers!

V O I C E

Ser v i ng t he st udents of t he Un iversit y of Hawa i ‘ i at M ā noa si nce 1922

Disney’s talent search returns News 3

Pharwoes Getting ‘hosed’ in Egypt Opinions 6

W E DN E S DAY, F E B . 16 to T H U R S DAY, F E B . 17, 2 011

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Volu me 105 Issue 72

Adderall: the academic steroid Students turn to prescription drugs for study help L AUREN TSUGAWA Reporter, The Santa Clara © 2011 The Santa Clara Students call it the “smarts drug,” scientists call it a “cognitive enhancer” and the law calls taking it without a prescription or selling it to those without a prescription a felony. Despite this, Adderall is still prevalent on college campuses around the country. The names of the students in this article have been changed to protect their privacy. “I started taking it freshman year,” said A aron. “ We ’d

be in the lounge studying, and I’d be like, ‘I can’t remember all this stuff,’ and they’d be like, ‘Why don’t you take this?’” A c cording to the New Y o r k Times, as many as 20 percent of college students have admitted to taking Adderall or similar drugs to help them study or write papers. Since the drug’s release in 1996, circulation in high schools and colleges has increased, with sales more than doubling nationwide in the past five years. Growing usage of Adderall seems to have a desensitizing effect on students, making it socially acceptable. “In high school, I knew a lot of people that did that, but I mean, they were the kind of kids you didn’t associate with,” Carmen, who now regularly uses Adderall, said with a laugh.

THE COSTS OF ADDERALL Adderall is a brand-name psycho-stimulant prescribed to counteract the effects of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which causes inattentiveness and impulsivity. Adderall affects the brain’s levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with the brain’s reward center and, among other things, significantly increases one’s ability to focus for long periods of time. When asked what taking the drug felt like, Aaron said, “I want to do nothing but study.” See Adderall abuse, next page

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Wednesday N: 2- 4 f t. W: 1-3 f t. S: 1-3 f t. E: 1-3 f t.

SURF Report

NIK SEU/KA LEO O HAWAI‘I

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