Take the situation in America. And the situation in the article above re Vancouver, Canada. It shouldn't then come as a surprise that The Queensland Crime Commission have their concerns.
http://www.cmc.qld.gov.au/CRIMEBULLETIN4.html
"...In November 2000, the former Queensland Crime Commission pointed to the amphetamine market as the highest risk crime market in Queensland (QCC 2000). It also noted a perception among users that amphetamine use was not addictive and found that the younger end of the market considered it more acceptable because it had less stigma attached to it than injecting drugs. As a result of that report, the QCC hypothesised that the amphetamine-based prescription drugs for treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), — methylphenidate and dexamphetamine — had the potential to become catalysts for subsequent amphetamine use..."
...Methylphenidate [RITALIN] is listed as a dangerous drug in schedules 2 and 5 of the Drugs Misuse Regulation 1987, with trafficking carrying a maximum penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment. As dexamphetamine is not listed in any schedule of the Drugs Misuse Regulation, there is no current penalty for trafficking in this drug...
...However, both methylphenidate and dexamphetamine are controlled drugs under schedule 8 of the Health (Drugs and Poisons) Regulation 1996. Owing to their nature and toxicity, they are also classed as specified condition drugs under section 78 of the Health (Drugs and Poisons) Regulation and have additional supply and use restrictions...
...Health issues
The abuse of ADHD prescription drugs is a potential problem for society, the public health system and law enforcement agencies.
Research clearly indicates similarities between the pharmacological and behavioural effects of these drugs and amphetamines and cocaine. Stimulants of this type have a marked abuse potential, and their misuse can have severe adverse medical and social consequences (Goldman et al. 1998) including long-term damage to brain cell structure and function (Baker 2001)...
...Amphetamines, cocaine, methylphenidate and dexamphetamine are all central nervous system stimulants and all produce similar immediate, long-term and withdrawal effects. Methylphenidate-induced stimulation produces a decreased sense of fatigue, an increase in motor activity and mental alertness and mild euphoria. Effects of withdrawal and misuse may include agitation, hostility, tremors, tachycardia (accelerated heartbeat), heart palpitations, hypertension and drug craving (Baldwin & Anderson 2000). Psychotic episodes, paranoid delusions, hallucinations and other behavioural characteristics have also been linked to methylphenidate abuse (DEA 2000)...
...[re US in 1995] In a press release at the time, the DEA reported that a significant number of children and adolescents were diverting and abusing ADHD medication and that students were giving and selling their medication to classmates (DEA 1995). Poison-control data, emergency room data and high school surveys all indicated that the abuse of methylphenidate had increased significantly since 1990. The DEA (2000) also noted that, in 1994, 1 per cent of US school seniors reported the illicit use of methylphenidate or dexamphetamine. In 1999 this figure had risen to about 3 per cent. However, the full extent to which methylphenidate and dexamphetamine is being abused remains unknown and further research is required...
... Sweden
When methylphenidate [ritalin/speed] was introduced into Sweden in the 1960s, it was promoted and prescribed for weight loss.
Amphetamine addicts recognised the abuse potential of the new drug when amphetamine became difficult to obtain in the late 1960s. An illegal market was created with addicts buying methylphenidate from patients who had readily obtained the drug to treat obesity.
As a result of this escalation in street abuse,
Sweden withdrew methylphenidate from the market in 1968...
Sweden’s experience led to the
US declaring methylphenidate a controlled drug in 1971 (Diller 1998)...
South Africa
According to South African research (Parran & Jasinski 1991), users abusing methylphenidate had
little difficulty in obtaining it from doctors, hospitals and specialised clinics, although this research is now somewhat dated...
...The INCB is the UN agency that monitors drug addiction and abuse throughout the world.
In its annual reports of 1995 and 1996, the INCB highlighted several cases of abuse and warned of the increasing abuse of methylphenidate worldwide, especially in the United States.
It reported that in the US the number of methylphenidate-related emergency room mentions for people aged 10–14 in 1995 reached the level of cocaine-related mentions for that age group (INCB 1996)...
...Law enforcement intelligence reports indicate a brief instance of small-scale illicit diversion and abuse of ADHD prescription drugs in Tasmania in the 1990s. Other anecdotal reports suggest isolated instances of children selling their ADHD medication in some Australian schools for around AU$2 a tablet (ABCI 1997)...
...Cases of illicit diversion and abuse of ADHD prescription drugs in Australia and Queensland are largely infrequent and anecdotal. However, enough concern was raised in Queensland over the escalating consumption of methylphenidate and dexamphetamine for Queensland Health to produce a report about the trends of consumption from 1991 to 1995 (Queensland Health 1996). It found that Queensland experienced a 490 per cent increase in consumption over this four-year period.
Reports also suggest that the availability of illicitly diverted dexamphetamine and methylphenidate tablets has increased during recent years in Queensland (McAllister 2001). Anecdotal information suggests that in 2001 methylphenidate was available in some Queensland schools for between AU$2 and AU$4 a tablet (CMC information 2002).
Anecdotal information from health workers also suggests that the high availability of amphetamines and increase in amphetamine users in Queensland, particularly South-East Queensland, are responsible for the current low number of cases of illicit diversion and abuse of methylphenidate and dexamphetamine. This suggestion is assessed from a market perspective in the next section...
...Overseas anecdotal evidence indicates that the illicit diversion of ADHD prescription drugs occurs by drug thefts, prescription forgery, ‘doctor shopping’ and illegal sales to others. DEA information (2000) suggests that those who are illegally using methylphenidate and dexamphetamine products are obtaining them from people who have been prescribed these medications for ADHD. Adolescents do not have to rob a pharmacy or forge a prescription when they have little difficulty obtaining the drug from classmates at school..."
ETC! Go to url for full article.
Armed with just the above information (there's A LOT MORE OUT THERE), it doesn't take TOO much imagination to realise what the result of this 'East Lancashire Project' will be on the whole of the UK in just a FEW years.
ADHD "medications" ARE JUST SPEED. DRUGS. STREET DRUGS.
The PUSHERS in this case are the Pharmaceutical Industry, pharma funded researchers, mental health 'professionals' (STAKEHOLDERS) and now ...THE POLICE THEMSELVES???
PLEASE - East Lancashire Police Force...
DON'T PUSH DRUGS TO CHILDREN!
SAY NO TO SPEED.
SAY NO TO THOSE USING YOU TO PUSH SPEED TO THE UNITED KINGDOM.
JUST SAY NO!!