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Serving the UMN community since 1900

The Minnesota Daily

Serving the UMN community since 1900

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By demonizing pleasure, we set ourselves up for unfulfilling sex lives.
Opinion: Let’s talk about sex
Published March 27, 2024

U should address stimulant misuse

Arecent study from the Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review reaffirms a persistent trend that one in six college students misuses stimulants commonly used to treat ADHD, including Adderall. 
 
In a “Community Voices” piece on MinnPost, Gustavus Adolphus College professor Peg O’Connor points out that “54 percent of student[s] regard [drug] misuse as cheating” and that to combat this problem, friends, family and faculty members must educate students to warn them of the legal and physical ramifications of drug misuse. In addition, she suggests “teaching refusal skills” and providing counseling and time management skills as effective countermeasures to combat this discouraging trend. 
 
While we agree with O’Connor that stimulant misuse is a problem and that preventative measures are worth pursuing, we feel that there are other aspects of this issue to 
consider.  
 
At the University of Minnesota, the expected amount of work per week for an average recommended semester of 15 credits equates to around 45 hours. Many students at the University also work either part- or full-time jobs to cover the ever-increasing living and tuition costs.
 
We feel that stimulant misuse is merely a symptom of a larger problem. In order to combat drug misuse, we first need to frame the problem properly. Student obligations have drastically changed over the past few decades. To help them cope, we encourage University officials to begin realistically assessing students’ obligations and how much time they should actually spend studying if they are serious about addressing the problem of stimulant abuse. 
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