Although police have low reports of buying and selling Adderall on campus, some students say the drug deals are popular.

“Almost everyone on my floor buys Adderall,” said a sophomore accounting major. “They take a pill and stay up studying all night like zombies.”

Adderall is a brand-name prescription drug that treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The drug and other similar medications are central nervous system stimulants. They affect chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

“Adderall has many physiological side effects,” said Dr. John Schell, a clinical psychologist at the Kent State DeWeese Health Center. “It creates a sense of dependency and causing students to need the drug to study and be motivated.”

One senior business major said the drug has become part of his lifestyle.

“I tried Adderall for the first time about a year ago, and I have been taking it ever since,” he said. “Adderall gives me the same experience as snorting cocaine. I wouldn’t say I’m addicted, but I find it difficult to focus without it.”

A freshman fashion major also said she can’t focus without the drug. She found herself craving Adderall more and more after trying a few pills with a friend.

And some students with Adderall prescriptions are reaping the benefits of their peers’ cravings.

“Selling Adderall is an easy way to make some money,” said a junior architecture major. “People get hooked and will do almost anything to get it.”

Selling unprescribed Adderall is considered a felony and can result in fines, a suspended drivers license and jail time, according to the Ohio Revised Code.

“I was told at a seminar that a study showed that 85 percent of students prescribed Adderall had shared the drug with at least one friend,” Schell said.

But Michquel Penn, a Kent State University Police Department officer, said the department hasn’t seen Adderall as a popular drug on campus.

“There really haven’t been any recent incidences on campus involving Adderall,” Penn said.

Still, she said the department would continue to educate students on the prevention of prescription drug abuse and keep a close eye on campus drug activity.

Contact Stephanie Black at [email protected]