Students Take ‘Good Grade’ Pill

Some students say a cup of black coffee isn’t enough to help them make the grade in a time when college admissions officers scrutinize every test score. An increasing number of students are turning to “study drugs”—Adderall, Ritalin, and other stimulants that give a heady dose of energy before students head into a test room with their No. 2’s. Classified as class II controlled substances, a designation they share with cocaine, the drugs can be found in the backpacks and lockers of students “across the United States,” according to Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Gary Boggs. And some experts say that while students may think the drugs may boost them into a top university, the chemicals may have long-term neurological effects.