By Rebecca DiFede — All across America, children struggling with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are beginning to realize that the pills that they need to regulate their behavior (Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta, etc) are becoming harder and harder to come by. And no, it isn’t because all the college final exams across the country are scheduled back to back.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s quota on how much of the medication’s active ingredient the drug companies can have each year is severely limiting the production in order to prevent people from collecting and selling the drugs on the black market.
According to the New York Times this shortage is “devastating” and is rendering thousands upon thousands of children unable to get their medication, and thus leaving them at a disadvantage to their classmates as they head to school.
ADHD is a behavioral disorder and many children that suffer from it are prone to acting out and having trouble focusing, causing class disruptions and a decline in grades. Drugs like Adderall allow these children to hone in on their specific tasks so that they can accomplish more in less time, and conquer their disorder.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has blatantly disagreed with the DEA’s decision to impose the quota, pointing out the near-elimination of the ability of the manufacturers to choose between the generic and name brand versions of the medication, therefore making production more expensive.
This move is slightly hypocritical, however, because the FDA has pulled the exact same move before with other prescription drugs, in a vain attempt to influence the market in their favor.
Both of these examples have taught us that the government has no business being involved in the prescriptions doctors assign to our children, and they definitely shouldn’t be determining whether or not the generic or name brand is used. Especially in these trying times, it is hard enough to afford prescriptions and with the DEA and FDA making medicines hard to come by, getting your little guy or gal the medicine they need might be harder than you think.
Our need for specific medications are not determined by the government, but rather by doctors who actually know what is necessary for us, so why should the government dictate their availability? This control is only another way for the current administration to impose its nanny state grip on the lives of the American people.
Hopefully these government agencies will realize the harm they are causing to the ADHD patients across the country and allow the markets to work, or else it could cause way more problems than it could ever hope to solve.
Rebecca DiFede is a contributing editor to Americans for Limited Government.
