By Sarah Faulkner
People tend to think that the big drug on campus is marajuana- they could be wrong. Not all drugs are taken to achieve a certain high or to avoid reality. Infact, there are more common drugs being popped by students on a daily basis that don’t even involve going through the shady drug dealer in a dark alley.
Yes, shooting up in the bathroom or lighting up a pipe behind the building gives drugs a bad name. However, drugs are also used and abused around campus by students with legitimate prescriptions. The most common drugs prescribed by a doctor to students with ADHD, mood swings, or to that popular jock who hurt himself in the last football game to tolerate the pain are Adderall, anti-depressents, and Vicodin.
Statistics show that 20 percent of college students have admitted to using these substances without a medical need. For example, Adderall is well known to help an everyday person focus and get things done without procrastinating therefore when it’s time to cram for that midterm this prescription drug quickly spreads across campus.
Drugs on campus aren’t always a bad thing. Having drugs there, in all reality, helps many students get through the day while focusing on the material being taught. The next time you hear the word “drug” remember that it’s not always that illegal crap being sold on the streets. Finding a balance between the need to take something and the want to feel something is a challenge these students are faced with daily.
