ADHD is a real disease with real (and severe) symptoms. That said, I personally believe that responsible use of these stimulants by people without ADHD can be

ADHD is a real disease with real (and severe) symptoms. That said, I personally believe that responsible use of these stimulants by people without ADHD can be of net benefit to individuals and society. Prominent bioethicists have agreed [1,2]. Just because something can be addictive or is abusable by some (c.f., TV, food, video games) doesn't mean it should be banned. The real crime here, in my opinion, is not that people are faking symptoms to get medication, but that they should have to. Also, as others have mentioned, the kid in the story very likely had other problems beyond his Adderall addiction. [1] http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1039&context=neuroethics_pubs http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1039... [2] http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080409/full/452674a.html http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080409/full/452674a.html