Health Project By: Steven,Carlie, and Erika

Street names Diet coke Kiddie cocaine Kiddie coke Vitamin R R-Ball Poor mans cocaine Rids Skittles Smarties

What is Ritalin? Common name- for methylphenidate Classified as a schedule II narcotic Abused by teens for stimulant effects

How it enters the body Take as a pill or inject in liquid form Grind into powder and snort

Statistics In some schools 20% of the kids take the drug regularly In 6 years there has been an 80% increase of the drug From there have been 186 deaths in the US alone.

History 5 million stimulant prescriptions in 1991 to nearly 35 million in ,601 emergency room visits in 2004: 13 times more than in emergency room visits in was ranked on the drug enforcement administration list of most stolen prescriptions

Effects Short term Loss of appetite Increased heart rate, blood pressure, body temp raises Pupil dilation Disrupted sleep Nausea Bizarre, erratic, violent behavior hallucinations Long term Permanent damage to blood vessels Liver, kidney, and lung damage Depression Damage to the brain including stroke and possible epilepsy Breathing problems if smoke Malnutrition, weight loss disorientation

How people get started It helps focus and gives you energy. When the pill wears off you are given the feeling of a crash coma. Making the user want another pill to help with the tiredness. Eventually users begin to snort or take larger doses of ritalin

Interesting Facts None of it is manufactured on the streets Looks like aspirin Pale yellow, green, or white