Ritalin. Concerta. Vyvanse. Adderall. The Editorial Board is willing to bet that you know at least one person who has been prescribed one of them.
These drugs have been championed by well-known Harvard psychologist Joseph Biederman for decades. As a result, doctors have increasingly prescribed the medicines to those who may or may not need them.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, investigated Biederman/s drug company affiliations. It turns out Biederman worked as a private consultant for some drug companies, earning at least $1.6 million in the past seven years for his "advice," according to The Boston Globe.
Grassley identified the conflict of interest that arises when the person who sets the precedent for how psychotropic drugs are dispensed is connected to drug companies. Both the companies and Biederman make bank as the drugs are dispersed.
We know there are cases when ADHD medications are necessary, but we are vindicated by this investigation, which shows that these drugs are often prescribed for the wrong reasons.
School systems push the drugs when young children are unable to keep still or concentrate for long periods. Those kids might be the next great ballet dancer, the next great novelist or just too damn smart to pay attention to "Dick and Jane" books.
The Editorial Board would like to assert that sedation is not the answer for those who might not fit into the paradigm of "eager student." Putting children who cannot understand the risks of drug addiction on drugs is a shame. Promoting drugs to these kids to make money is absolutely criminal.
We would like to note that intellectual might doesn/t always make right. We urge parents who/ve thought about putting their children on drugs to think twice before damning them to a lifetime of pill-popping when they may not need it.
