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I agree that this is a very worrying trend, especially in the context of Ritalin being used in cases of bright children who misbehave out of disinterest or boredom. Quite a number of our greatest scientists and inventors were thrown out of schools because of their behaviour. Most notable amongst these would probably be T.A.Edison who had a habit of blowing things up during his ad hoc experiments. Where would be now without his inventions....?
More worrying however is the inherent contradiction such prescriptive actions contain. On the one hand you have pressure groups and authority figures screaming out the "Say no to drugs" message, yet on the other hand scream for prescription drugs to be used on 'trouble' children. This leads to system where some drugs are labelled good and others bad, rather than the reality that virtually all drugs have risks and dangers associated with them. Thus is it any wonder that teenagers turn to illicit drugs when they see adults taking prescribed drugs or forcing them on children. They are going to say "why should I listen to a message saying I shouldn't take drugs, when a significant proportion of the population are taking them, and who decides what is good or bad". In addition they will look at the amount of money that pharmaceutical companies make, the lobbying power that they possess and conclude that it is all a big fix to boost their profits and line politicians pockets.
Unfortunately the use of Ritalin is yet another example of blanket, quick fix and interventionist thinking that is slowly eroding the fabric of our society.
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