MASSES OF AMERICAN SCHOOL CHILDREN ARE DRUGGED AT COCAINE LEVELS

Data From CDC Health Statistics (Health United States, 2015)

Thousands of children around the country are taking stimulants with the strength of cocaine. These drugs have severe side effects such as suicide, violence, cardiac toxicity, diabetes, stunted growth, and psychosis. Not only are these drugs legal, but for some children they are mandatory. These drugs can be pushed onto children by the public education system at very young ages. Since the 1990's, school psychiatrists have been handing out pills for common behavioral issues such as ADHD. Often the symptoms of ADHD are characterized as the "inability to pay attention in the classroom" and "hyper-activity." These are traits that basically any school child could have. Prescription becomes more guess-work than scientific diagnosis. And even if the child does have ADHD, is giving them such a powerful drug under age the best approach?

The United States now uses 90% of the world's Ritalin supply — more than five times the rest of the world combined (Forced Drugging and Special Services). Emergency room visits by children between the ages of 10-14 involving Ritalin intoxication have reached the same level as those for Cocaine (Forced Drugging and Special Services). Another fact that big pharmacy companies don't advertise is that over 569 children have been hospitalized and 186 have died as a result of psychotropic drug use (What Drugmakers Don't Want You to Know).

Meanwhile, big pharmaceuticals are making a major profit off of ADHD as an industry (The Business of ADHD). Many of the researchers who are supposed to be investigating the effects of ADHD actually get their money from big pharmaceutical companies.

The mass drugging of America's school children is an unprecedented event in the span of history. The long term effects of this behavior are unknown. The brains of these school children are still in the process of developing when they are given these drugs. When they begin to develop a dependency on toxic chemicals at such a young age, this creates an increased likelihood of drug abuse and violent behavior at a later age.

One particularly gruesome example is the increase in random mass violence in the last two decades. We must be careful to point out that there may not be a direct correlation (since correlation doesn't always equal causation). Yet we do know that several school shooters in recent years, such as Eric Harris (Columbine), Kip Kinkel (Oregon), and Jason Hoffman (San Diego), were on antidepressants, stimulants (or both) at the time of their crime.

GEORGE BUSH SIGNS INTO LAW A LEGISLATION THAT BANS THE FORCED DRUGGING OF SCHOOL CHILDREN

We can't say that nothing has been done on this issue. In 2004, President Bush signed a legislation into law that banned the forced Psychiatric Drugging of school children. This is definitely a step forward. Yet considering the scope of the issue, it is surprising that "mass drugging of American school children" does not make the front page news. It is unthinkable that children younger than 10 years old are given dosages of stimulants with the potency of cocaine — and this is considered a normal practice in the mental health industry.

The Prohibition on Mandatory Medication Amendment 2004

Prohibition on mandatory medication (U.S. Department of Education)

Prohibition on mandatory medication (Cornell University Law School)

New Federal Law Outlaws Schools From Forcing Parents to Drug Kids (Able Child)

MORE INFORMATION ON THE FORCED DRUGGING OF CHILDREN

Forced Drugging and Special Services: (Psych Rights PDF)

Forced Drugging of Children in Foster Care: (Pysch Rights PDF)

The Business of ADHD (PBS)

Ritalin Proven More Potent Than Cocaine: Nearly 10 Million Kids Drugged (Rense)

Forced Drugging of Kids Needs to Stop (Lawyers and Settlements)

New Law Bans Forced Drugging of Children (Rense)

THE DANGERS OF DRUGGING CHILDREN