1. Nepal Earthquake Updates: "Hundreds of bodies may be buried in Nepal avalanche, official says - Reuters May 07, 2015" - The government has said 7,759 people were killed in the April 25 earthquake and more than 16,000 injured. Langtang is on a trekking route popular with Westerners and the village had 55 guesthouses catering for visitors. The village was wiped out by the avalanche but it was not clear how many people were there at the time.
2. "Teens abuse drugs to ace exams - May 05, 2015 The New Paper
He needs a rush of energy to prepare for the upcoming mid-year examination. With all his time spent in class, tuition and on co-curricular activities, 14-year-old Jason has little time left for his exam preparation. So he takes out a white pill that he keeps in his wallet, crushes it with a spoon and eats the powder.
These pills contain methylphenidate, a mental stimulant meant to treat people with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), attention deficit disorder and less commonly, narcolepsy (a sleeping disorder).
But Jason does not have a prescription as he does not suffer from any of these conditions. Instead, he claims he is taking these pills because they make it "extremely easy" to get work done.
The Secondary 3 student from a top school says: "I start to feel jittery when I take it but suddenly, I can easily set my mind on any task and get it done.
"For example, the drug makes me want to redo the same questions again and again, which is great for mathematics. I don't get distracted by the computer or TV too."
While methylphenidate has been reported to be used by university students here before, this is the first time secondary school students are known to be misusing them too.
The drug is classified as a controlled drug here under the Misuse of Drugs Act and can be legally obtained from a pharmacist, as long as one has a doctor's written prescription and photo identification.
Jason belongs to a group of three students who has been taking methylphenidate as a way to cope with their schoolwork since they found out about it from a website last year. He says one of the members in his group buys it from an online black market known as the Silk Road, which is accessible only through the Tor network. The network is designed to keep its users anonymous, and the websites are known to be part of the "deep web", a portion of the Internet that is not indexed by standard search engines.
Jason declines to elaborate how they managed to buy the drug from there. Each box of 100 pills costs around $30, including shipping, he says. He knows of a few others in his school who misuse the drug too but quickly notes that "only a very small circle of people know about it".
"Previously, he had tried alternatives such as caffeinated drinks, strong coffee and chicken essence but found them to be ineffective after a while.
One of his friends managed to get a pill from a relative with ADHD. Says Jason: "He tried it and said he felt like a superhuman. Of course, we were very cautious at first, but the more we researched it (online), the more we found that its side effects are mild and not long-lasting.
"Their parents do not know they are using methylphenidate as a stimulant but Jason insists that it is not wrong for them to do so. He claims they take the pill only during exam periods and as a last resort."We are not dependent on it. We don't eat it for recreation. "It is not drug misuse as it is "no different from an ultra strong coffee", he argues. Neither is it "cheating", as they have to put in the effort to remember what they studied too."
Interesting to read that it HELPS them to ace examination. Or DO THEY?
Lessons for me are:
1. it is controlled drug. So, are the side effects as innocent as what this seemingly intelligent young user said it is? If so, WHY NOT make it available TO EVERY student who needs it to make the playing field LEVEL?;
2. OK. The suggestion made in item 1 is more in jest. However, seriously, is this type of drug dangerous to the users or abusers? Especially to YOUNG and YOUNGER people? Maybe the Singapore Health Science Authority, an equivalent of the USA FDA, can CATEGORICALLY explain the effects and side effects of this type of 'super-human-ed me' drug so prevent ANY 'Oh it is just an innocent drug that can help me brain and body cope' persons!;
3. it is interesting, or scary, to think that the seemingly intelligent user, young Jason, does not see it as 'cheating' and see 'nothing wrong' about this practice. I guessed it is right that after a while being 'educated' can, and do, make us a little less careful with what is right and what is wrong? This is especially so when the sustained and long term use of these drugs do no harms physically and psychologically! Question is: Is this true? It this how these drugs REALLY work?
Looks like our MOE folks have a challenge on hands IF the ABUSE of such drugs are more than just the tip of an iceberg!!
2. "Teens abuse drugs to ace exams - May 05, 2015 The New Paper
He needs a rush of energy to prepare for the upcoming mid-year examination. With all his time spent in class, tuition and on co-curricular activities, 14-year-old Jason has little time left for his exam preparation. So he takes out a white pill that he keeps in his wallet, crushes it with a spoon and eats the powder.
These pills contain methylphenidate, a mental stimulant meant to treat people with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), attention deficit disorder and less commonly, narcolepsy (a sleeping disorder).
The Secondary 3 student from a top school says: "I start to feel jittery when I take it but suddenly, I can easily set my mind on any task and get it done.
"For example, the drug makes me want to redo the same questions again and again, which is great for mathematics. I don't get distracted by the computer or TV too."
While methylphenidate has been reported to be used by university students here before, this is the first time secondary school students are known to be misusing them too.
The drug is classified as a controlled drug here under the Misuse of Drugs Act and can be legally obtained from a pharmacist, as long as one has a doctor's written prescription and photo identification.
Jason belongs to a group of three students who has been taking methylphenidate as a way to cope with their schoolwork since they found out about it from a website last year. He says one of the members in his group buys it from an online black market known as the Silk Road, which is accessible only through the Tor network. The network is designed to keep its users anonymous, and the websites are known to be part of the "deep web", a portion of the Internet that is not indexed by standard search engines.
Jason declines to elaborate how they managed to buy the drug from there. Each box of 100 pills costs around $30, including shipping, he says. He knows of a few others in his school who misuse the drug too but quickly notes that "only a very small circle of people know about it".
"Previously, he had tried alternatives such as caffeinated drinks, strong coffee and chicken essence but found them to be ineffective after a while.
One of his friends managed to get a pill from a relative with ADHD. Says Jason: "He tried it and said he felt like a superhuman. Of course, we were very cautious at first, but the more we researched it (online), the more we found that its side effects are mild and not long-lasting.
"Their parents do not know they are using methylphenidate as a stimulant but Jason insists that it is not wrong for them to do so. He claims they take the pill only during exam periods and as a last resort."We are not dependent on it. We don't eat it for recreation. "It is not drug misuse as it is "no different from an ultra strong coffee", he argues. Neither is it "cheating", as they have to put in the effort to remember what they studied too."
Interesting to read that it HELPS them to ace examination. Or DO THEY?
Lessons for me are:
1. it is controlled drug. So, are the side effects as innocent as what this seemingly intelligent young user said it is? If so, WHY NOT make it available TO EVERY student who needs it to make the playing field LEVEL?;
2. OK. The suggestion made in item 1 is more in jest. However, seriously, is this type of drug dangerous to the users or abusers? Especially to YOUNG and YOUNGER people? Maybe the Singapore Health Science Authority, an equivalent of the USA FDA, can CATEGORICALLY explain the effects and side effects of this type of 'super-human-ed me' drug so prevent ANY 'Oh it is just an innocent drug that can help me brain and body cope' persons!;
3. it is interesting, or scary, to think that the seemingly intelligent user, young Jason, does not see it as 'cheating' and see 'nothing wrong' about this practice. I guessed it is right that after a while being 'educated' can, and do, make us a little less careful with what is right and what is wrong? This is especially so when the sustained and long term use of these drugs do no harms physically and psychologically! Question is: Is this true? It this how these drugs REALLY work?
Looks like our MOE folks have a challenge on hands IF the ABUSE of such drugs are more than just the tip of an iceberg!!
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