All sources in this story have been given aliases, as they chose to remain anonymous.
“Who got Addy?”
These are the words Roger, a West High athlete, heard minutes before he went out to compete. He recalls how one of his teammates just “popped it open and distributed it to everyone.”
“Addy” refers to Adderall, an amphetamine that was first used on the mass scale during World War II. According to the U.S. national archives, a 1945 survey of German soldiers shows that the majority that used amphetamines “made their own rules” and took it “whenever they felt like it,” instead of as directed. It is now commonly prescribed to people with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and the theme of not using the drugs “as directed” prevails.Roger doesn’t have attention disorders, and neither do most of his teammates. Wesley, the teammate providing the Adderall, first acquired a prescription in fifth grade. Wesley only takes the 20-milligram pill when he needs to study or compete in the sport, although the prescription states he is supposed to take it daily. He provides it to his teammates for free.
“It literally makes you forget you’re tired. It’s like a cheat code, almost,” Roger said.
Carl also participated in athletics. He took Adderall for three years with a prescription and recently stopped.
“You never get tired so you don’t know when you’ll pass out,” he said. “I blacked out four times in [my sport] because I didn’t know where my breaking point was.”
Roger doesn’t think there are any repercussions for getting caught taking it for the sports. The only way he can see anyone getting in trouble would be if a parent didn’t want their kid taking it.
Athletes caught doing anything illegal, such as drinking or smoking marijuana, have the potential to be kicked out of athletics. Adderall is a schedule II narcotic, making it illegal to even carry in the United States without a prescription.
“I would hope morally and ethically our students would compete within the spirit of the rules,” said Athletic Director Craig Huegel. “The difficult part is, Adderall is very beneficial for those who legitimately need it.”
With prescription drugs, there is a gray area that exists for regulation. Many people take Adderall just so they have the ability to function normally. According to school nurse Megan Carlson, at West High alone there are just shy of 200 kids that have reported their ADHD/ADD diagnosis. This isn’t counting those who don’t report it, or those with anxiety (83 students) or depression (43 students).
According to West High assistant principal Lucas DeVries, that gray area isn’t so gray when a student is at school. Students are not allowed to carry any medication whatsoever when they are at school, even with a prescription, and must access their medication from the health office.
If a student is suspected of having any illegal substances with them, the school has the right to search them without a warrant.
“We’re not law enforcement, so we don’t need probable cause to go through stuff. We just need reasonable suspicion,” DeVries said. “Any time there is a concern that a student may have an illegal substance on campus that is jeopardizing the safety of that student and possibly others, it’s our job to investigate.”
This reasonable suspicion can range from getting a tip from another student, or seeing a student get out of a fogged-up car.
Lockers, backpacks and cars on school property all have the potential to be searched. you can open this If a student says no to the search, the problem escalates outside of the school building.
“It’s better for a school administrator than a police officer here going through all of your stuff. The school takes a little bit different approach than a police officer,” he said. “The school will also always make parent contact, meet with parents, make sure the student is safe to go home and provide resources for help outside of the school if necessary.”
Depending on the situation, a student has the potential to be suspended or expelled. If a student is a repeat offender, they have the potential to be sent to Theodore Roosevelt Education Center (TREC).
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