The moment when a person reaches the level of desperation to risk the rest of their life to get a decent grade in high school and post-secondary education happens too often. Many students at America's largest universities have experienced this feeling of hopelessness and so naturally tried to find a solution. The solution falls into the hands of amphetamine or dextroamphetamine, better known as Adderall, a staggering amount of time. Students obtain Adderall illegally, as it is a prescription drug, due to the common belief on college campuses across the United States that it improves students' concentration and attention span, while extending the period of time students can go without sleep. Adderall can be better understood through the explanations of its legal and illegal uses as well as the success of both, the side effects and legal consequences of its illegal use, and how the illegal uses of Adderall and the drug itself will continue into the future. Adderall can be life-changing when prescribed to a patient with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or patients with narcolepsy. This is the general and legal purpose of Adderall: to help control the mental illness of ADHD. ADHD is a problem in which the affected person is unable to stay focused on anything for a varying length of time, depending on the degree of severity diagnosed. ADHD can also make sufferers hyperactive and unable to control their overall behavior (Merill). However, when Adderall is not prescribed to help treat ADHD or narcolepsy, the only way to obtain it is to sell illegal drugs. Typically, when Adderall is obtained illegally, the user's goal is to help prolong love...... middle of paper .......d. Internet. November 18, 2013. .Schiffner, Jennifer. “Harder, Better, Faster: Regulating Illicit Adderall Use Among Law Students and Law Schools.” » Selected works by Jennifer Schiffner. NP, 2010. Web. November 17, 2013. .Wang, Shirley S. “ADHD Medication Does Not Improve Children's Grades.” Online.wsj.com. The Wall Street Journal, July 8, 2013. Web. November 16, 2013. .Workman, Thomas A. and Gregory Eells. "Assessing Risks and Problems: Prescription Drug Abuse on Campus." Stetson University. NP, 2010. Web. November 17. 2013. .