A new kind of drug abuse is sweeping university campuses in North America and is expected to come to Britain. Faced with the pressure of exams and essay deadlines, students are abandoning the traditional stimulants of coffee and cigarettes for Ritalin.
Unlike their parents who "blew their minds" on recreational drugs in the Sixties and Seventies, today's American students are using chemical substances in the pursuit of peak performance.
Ritalin is a stimulant drug, best known as a treatment for hyperactive children. It has found a ready black market among students who are desperate to succeed. Users say it helps them to focus and to concentrate.
In Britain, drug agencies say anecdotal reports suggest abuse of the drug is just starting and British campuses should be prepared. The traditional crutches of coffee, Pro-Plus caffeine pills and cans of Red Bull are being ditched in favour of the...
