ADHD meds sold at schools, SANCA warns
The pressure of writing exams is apparently a contributing factor to the buying and selling of medication prescribed for people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by learners.
POLOKWANE – According to the Director of Sanca, Amanda Swart, learners at prominent schools in the city are involved with the buying and selling of these pills.
Ritalin, Conserta and Mythylphendidate HCI Douglas are among the medication sold.
Read more: Drug trade in schools
Review spoke to a learner who has inside information relating to the trade of these medications. According to them these tablets are sold at R30 each and are said to increase levels of concentration, especially when writing exams.
“We only sell the pills to learners in Gr 11 and 12 because it is something they use at their own risk.”
The source added the teachers do not become suspicious about the medication due to the frequency people are diagnosed with ADHD which means the pills do not ‘stand out’.
“If anyone does ask questions, there are ways to get around it.”
Read more: Parents be alert: ‘drug dealers’ targeting teens on social media
According to the learner there are also prescriptions, which were not obtained legally, doing the rounds which can be used to acquire the medication.
Sometimes, the learner added, a learner might use their own prescription, get the prescription filled, and then sell the medicine instead of using it themselves.
According to Swart from Sanca, the main reason learners resort to using these substances are because they are placed under immense pressure.
“There are parents who put immense pressure on their children to perform well and to not disappoint them. The problem stems from the prevalence of ADHD medication which is too often seen as a first choice instead of a last resort when a learner struggles to pay attention in class or might be hyperactive.
“The medication then gets prescribed in the city by a general practitioner whereas it must actually only be prescribed and supplied by a psychiatrist or similar clinician. This makes it easier to get the medicine,” Swart explained.
She added there is a strong link between the stimulants in the medication and other illegal substances.
Polokwane Police Spokesperson, WO Lesiba Ramoshaba, told Review the sale of these medications is illegal and can be likened to drug trafficking.
“No one may sell medication unless it is an institution like a pharmacy, which has to be registered,” Ramoshaba said.
Since Review first reported about the matter there have been some cases where learners who fainted at school were linked to the use of the ADHD medication. Read the story in this week’s Review.
Swart encouraged parents to report to Sanca if their children show any suspicious activity or behavioural changes and they suspect they might be using drugs or any other substances. Contact them at (015) 295 3700.
