adderall & ritalin: good or bad?

this past week i had a looong paper to write and i hate to admit it but i felt like i needed a pick-me-up so i bought a bottle of 5hr energy from 7eleven. have you ever sat around thinking you need an extra boost and turn to energy drinks or caffeine pills to get the job done? i know that during midterms and finals, 5hr energy gets sold out at local stores. it's pretty crazy how we've become so dependent on these outside sources of energy. it makes you think about adderall and ritalin.. and how students turn to these drugs for a burst of energy that helps them concentrate and become "better students." has anyone ever taken these drugs? it seems natural for us to consider these options and doesn't come across as wrong, immoral, or illegal.. which they are. adderall and ritalin are prescribed drugs that are used to treat ADD or ADHD. what makes a student turn to such desperate measures? and once you start taking them, do you become addicted? what are the after-effects? i was reading an article that talked about the affects of such pills and it said that students experience a surge of energy to be able to concentrate on studying; however, once that rush dissipates, students experience crippling after-effects. after reading this, if given the chance, would you still try adderall or ritalin? if you've experienced the highs and lows of the drugs first-hand, do you still continue to take them? if so, why? is it really worth it?

this reminds me of the simpsons episode "brother's little helper" where bart is prescribed focusin to help him concentrate in school. do you think people introduce these drugs as a way to control children or to alleviate the symptoms of conditions?

medical marijuana a-okay

currently 14 states allow the use of medical marijuana (sorry folks but illinois isn't part of that list). new guidelines have been set so that federal drug agents can no longer pursue patients who use marijuana for medicinal purposes as long as they are in compliance with their respective states' laws.

i think it's great. it will allow prosecutors to go after users who actually "pose a threat to society."

yay or nay?



also, anyone hear about the guy from "big brother" who got arrested for dealing drugs? the winner from last year decided to invest his money into drugs and tried to sell oxycodone pills to someone who was wired. unfortunately, he's not really considered a celebrity so i don't think they'll be going easy on him.

marijuana soon to be legalized?!

quick note: the link in the title of this post leads to a brief summary (thanks to perez hilton) about the issue. i'll be adding a link to the actual article somewhere in the rest of the post.

it seems marijuana might become legalized in california soon. if it actually does happen, california will be the first state in the nation to do so. the state already benefits financially from medical marijuana... think of how much more california could earn through a marijuana industry.

unfortunately, federal law states that marijuana is illegal. no matter what. the U.S. supreme court ruled that federal agents have the right to crack down on users and distributors (even those dealing with medical marijuana in california). however, the government can't force the state to assist enforcing the federal ban if the state legalizes the drug. federal agents won't be able to do much without the assistance of state officers.

if that's the case, then california shouldn't have any problems. but what does that mean for the rest of the country? do you think this will open the door to other drugs being legalized? will other states follow in california's steps? most important of all, what do you think is their reason for legalizing marijuana?

celebrities & drugs

quick note: the title above should be a link to another article~

so apparently more and more korean celebrities are getting caught using drugs at clubs.. but since they're celebrities, they probably won't get more than a slap on the wrist. model-turned-actor joo ji-hoon was arrested for drug trafficking back in april and even though he should have been heavily punished (according to south korean law), he was only given a figurative slap on the wrist. so what's that all about? shouldn't public figures receive as much punishment as us? since they're in the public eye, wouldn't their sentences serve as a deterrence to everyday people? i just don't understand how the government (any government, really) turns a blind eye to the rich and famous but goes out of its way to punish others. everyone should be treated equal under the law. i think that's the reason why arresting such non-violent offenders doesn't really serve a purpose.

so what do you think: is it okay for celebrities to be treated differently when it comes to illegal activities?

the war on drugs

seems the government finally realized its “war on drugs” was not working out. the drug czar called for an end to the “war on drugs,” wanting to shift towards treatment instead of incarceration for drug users. this is great because drug addiction is a condition or a status, not a crime. people can’t help if they’re physically or mentally addicted to something; they have no control over themselves. instead of punishing people for something they can’t control, the government should be helping these people find ways to overcome their problems and kick their habits for good. this would keep users off the streets and people wouldn’t turn to desperate acts to obtain their drugs of choice. i think this is a step in the right direction. hopefully the government actually passes some new legislation to follow through with this change.. perhaps it can start by legalizing or at least decriminalizing marijuana.. or it can allow for the opening of clinics where addicts can receive some sort of treatment.

now that we’re heading in the right direction, maybe a day will come when we find an effective solution to the drug problem in america.

hello blogger~

hi folks. i’m a student at a university in chicago and for the next couple of months (until december?) i’ll be using this blog as an outlet to talk about drug issues in society. i would love to get feedback from anyone and everyone who visits :)