Stressed Chinese Parents Looking to Drug Children for Exams

According to the Beijing News, stressed out parents living in the financial district of Shanghai, China, have been looking for a "prescription stimulant" to give their kids before this week's national college exams.

The Beijing News is reporting Chinese parents want to give their children Ritalin, a drug used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However because many parents can’t get them directly from drug stores, are now looking to the black market to get the drugs. Reports say some parents are also begging others who get Ritalin drugs from doctors so they can use it for their own children. One person known only as "Sun" recently said:

I was puzzled why they needed the drug and only later understood that it was for their children preparing for the exams.

"Sun apparently went to the hospital four times this past month, where she lied to doctors, saying she lost her previous prescriptions. In reality, the previous does were given to other parents. A record-breaking 10 million high school students will take the two-day college entrance exam beginning on Thursday, vying for only 5.7 million university placements. Competition is one of the main reasons parents are looking for performance-enhancing drugs, as there are few slots for a growing population. China has the largest population in the world. The exams are so competitive that both grandparents and parents are anxious. The parents also book expensive hotel rooms so they can be near their children and examination halls. Beijing News said medical experts are worried about healthy children taking Ritalin. They believe "willful administration" will actually induce poor exam performance. But the problem is bigger than just prescription drugs, as parents who aren't able to find Ritalin end up buying tonics and drugs promoted on TV that promise immediate benefits. Last month, Chinese authorities warned parents to stop buying a protein injection which claimed to boost the immune systems of their children preparing for the entrance exam. (There is a related article by PlanetJanet where UK Parents do the same for their children). In my opinion, children should be allowed to study naturally. If they think drugs are going to take them to the next level, it's a pipe dream. Drugs cause more harm than good and parents should know by now what it does to their kids.