(NewsNation) — Should taking Adderall to increase performance be counted as cheating?
Dr. Drew Pinsky, addiction medicine specialist, joined NewsNation host Brian Entin on Wednesday to discuss why the Drug Enforcement Administration is sounding the alarm about increasing Adderall abuse.
Pinsky, popularly known as “Dr. Drew,” said Adderall is “not to be taken for performance” and it’s “odd that universities don’t address it as cheating.”
“When you’re using something that really significantly affects brain chemistry for something other than for which it is intended, you are only going to put yourself in harm’s way,” Pinsky said on “CUOMO.” “It does improve performance. It’s not a performance-enhancing drug. … I put some of the blame at the school system because the schools never call it out for what it is. It’s drug abuse, and it’s cheating. And it should be treated as any other kinds of cheating.”
According to the DEA, the spike in stimulant abuse is due to the rise of telehealth companies during the pandemic. Telehealth providers are reportedly approving Adderall prescriptions without due diligence.
A senior DEA spokesman compared Adderall addiction to another opioid epidemic.
While Adderall overdoses are rare, the consequences of the addiction is severe. Pinsky said, adding, however, that we won’t see the sort of deadly consequences of the opioid crisis.