Education Reporter

NUMBER 167 THE NEWSPAPER OF EDUCATION RIGHTS DECEMBER 1999

Colorado School Board Passes
Resolution Warning About Ritalin

DENVER, CO -- The Colorado State School Board
passed a resolution on November 11 warning of the
possible negative effects of psychotropic (mind-altering)
prescription drugs on schoolchildren. The vote was 6-1. Board
member Patti Johnson drafted the resolution after a number of
parents contacted her complaining that they had been "pressured" by
educators to put their children on Ritalin.

"I have been actively involved in education since my
now-college-age son was in elementary school," she explains. "Im
aware that schools receive additional funding for each child who is
labeled 'learning disabled,' so I was particularly sensitive to
these complaints."

Mrs. Johnson introduced her resolution at the October board meeting
following presentations by experts on the possible connection of
Ritalin and other prescription drugs to students violent behaviors.
The original text was pared from four pages to one prior to its
adoption by the board last month (see Resolution this page).

Colorado Eagle Forum leader Jayne Schindler is among many who
applaud the board's decision. "We are proud that the Colorado Board
of Education is the first in the nation to take this monumental
step toward correcting the obvious problems with the diagnoses and
potential misdiagnoses of learning disabilities in schoolchildren,
and the subsequent treatment of these disabilities with
psychotropic drugs," she says.

Eagle Forum was instrumental in focusing attention on these
problems by providing research documentation to state school board
members and legislators. "This should be the beginning of a
national movement by state school boards and legislatures to stem
the tide of mind-altering drugs that are arbitrarily prescribed for
children," Mrs. Schindler says. She reports that the states of
Florida and Texas have already shown an interest in copying the
resolution.

Presentations to the Board

Dr. Fred Baughman Jr., M.D., a pediatric neurologist for 35 years,
Dr. Ann Tracy, who holds a Ph.D. in psychology and health sciences
and is the director of the International Coalition for Drug
Awareness, and Bruce Wiseman, national president of the Citizens
Commission on Human Rights, a psychiatric watchdog organization,
made presentations in support of Patti Johnson's resolution at the
October school board meeting. Dr. Baughman stated that "there is no
scientific evidence that either Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are scientifically
valid disorders or diseases." He told the board that he has been
informed by leading health authorities, including the National
Institute of Mental Health, that no studies proving the validity of
these maladies exist.

Dr. Tracy, who has extensively researched the effects of
mind-altering drugs on the brain, noted that there were
"approximately 15,000 deaths in 1998 from illegal drug use and over
200,000 reported deaths from the use of legal drugs."

Mr. Wiseman pointed out the instances over the last several years
where the perpetrators of school shootings had been diagnosed with
depression and were taking some type of antidepressant medication,
including Eric Harris, who was on Luvox prior to the rampage at
Columbine High School.

Speaking against the resolution was Dr. William Dodson, assistant
professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado. Dr. Dodson
described those opposed to Ritalin as "fear mongering" and "mean
spirited." He stated that Ritalin is not addictive and that any
side effects are short-lived. He said the criteria used in the
diagnoses of ADD and ADHD consistof "a list of questions and a
family history," and admitted that even nurse practitioners are
considered qualified to prescribe Ritalin and other drugs to
schoolchildren in Colorado.

While the school board has no mandate other than providing
direction for school policy, the resolution was enthusiastically
supported by all but one board member. Board chairman Clair Orr,
who voted for the resolution, noted: "We as adults have an
obligation to our kids to set the standards." He added that he
hopes the boards actions "shine a light on this issue of drugging
kids."

Legislature Hears Testimony

On November 8, the Colorado State Legislature convened hearings on
the issue of prescription drug use and its possible correlation to
school violence. The committee heard testimony from the same
professionals who addressed the school board, plus a number of
other medical professionals, researchers, representatives of
support organizations for people with disabilities, and individuals
relating personal stories about the effects of prescription drugs.

Peter R. Breggin, M.D., International Director of the Center for
the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology which represents the
opinions of about 1,000 doctors worldwide, flew from London to
testify at the hearing. He stated that Ritalin and other
mind-altering drugs have addictive qualities, and that their
effects include suicide and episodes of mania.

Several individuals testified to the reality of ADD and ADHD and in
support of Ritalin. Speaking on behalf of herself and Children and
Adults With ADD (CHADD), one woman claimed that Ritalin is not a
drug, but prescription medicine. She admitted that CHADD gets 10%
of its funding from the pharmaceutical companies.

Serious Medicine

In 1995, CHADD tried to persuade the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
(DEA) to classify Ritalin as a Schedule III drug, which would have
made it easier to obtain. Ritalin contains methylphenidate, which,
according to the DEA, "is structurally and pharmacologically
similar to amphetamines." It was classified as a Schedule II drug
in 1971 because it "was so prone to abuse." Other Schedule II drugs
include morphine, PCP, methadone, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

The DEA refused CHADDs request, charging that "Most of the ADHD
literature prepared for public consumption and available to parents
does not address the abuse liability or actual abuse of
methylphenidate . . . There is an abundance of scientific
literature which indicates that methyphenidate shares the same
abuse potential as other Schedule II stimulants."

A significant body of research exists on the possible negative
effects of antidepressant drugs such as Prozac, Luvox, Zoloft, and
Paxil on both children and adults which include mania, seizures,
and cardiovascular problems. According to Dr. Breggin, "The
phenomenon of drug-induced manic reactions caused by
antidepressants is so widely recognized that it is discussed
several times in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association and many times in
The Physicians Desk Reference."

ADD & Diet

Those who testified before the Colorado Legislature against the
indiscriminate use of Ritalin and other psychotropic drugs concede
that "there are, without question, cases where medical therapy is a
necessity and a benefit." Retired emergency medical services
professional Jim Schindler, who described many prescription
drug-related cases, particularly involving seizures, that he has
personally witnessed, nonetheless added: "I see no reason or desire
on anyone's part to deny those who depend on such methods of
treatment access to that treatment, nor to deny such treatment in
the future to those who are properly diagnosed."

Therein lies the rub. Many nutrition experts say emotional
wellbeing is tied to the 40+ nutrients that humans need for good
health, and that conditions such as hyperactivity and depression
are often better controlled through diet than drugs.

In her book Lets Eat Right To Keep Fit, Adelle Davis describes the
extreme negative effects that can result from deficiencies in vital
nutrients. She writes tht the first symptom of biotin (B vitamin)
deficiency, for example, is depression. In Chapter 9, she provides
details of an experiment in which lack of biotin in adult
volunteers caused "mental depression" to become "so intense that it
was described as 'panic,' and some volunteers experienced suicidal
tendencies. All symptoms disappeared in three to five days after
biotin was added to the diet."

Conclusion

Patti Johnson's original four-page version of the Colorado School
Board Resolution offers the following observations:

* It is misleading to advise parents that their child needs a
mind-altering drug to correct a "chemical imbalance,"
"neurobiological" or "genetic condition" when science has been
unable to establish the existence of such maladies.

* Medical research shows that psychiatric symptoms are often a sign
of an undetected medical condition, nutritional deficiency, or
allergy.

* The money expended [on behalf of students with ADHD, as reported
by the National Institutes of Health] would be better spent on
workable academic programs which actually raise the childs level of
academic competence and thus his self-esteem.

Colorado State Board of Education

RESOLUTION

Promoting The Use Of Academic
Solutions To Resolve Problems With
Behavior, Attention, And Learning
Whereas, the Colorado State Board of Education is
constitutionally charged with the general
supervision of K-12 public education; and,

Whereas, the Colorado State Board of Education
dedicates itself to increasing academic
achievement levels for all students; and,

Whereas, the responsibility of school personnel
is to ensure student achievement; and,

Whereas, only medical personnel can recommend the
use of prescription medications; and,

Whereas, the Colorado State Board of Education
recognizes that there is much concern regarding
the issue of appropriate and thorough diagnosis
and medication and their impact on student
achievement; and,

Whereas, there are documented incidences of
highly negative consequences in which psychiatric
prescription drugs have been utilized for what
are essentially problems of discipline which may
be related to lack of academic success;

Therefore Be It Resolved, that the Colorado State
Board of Education encourage school personnel to
use proven academic and/or classroom management
solutions to resolve behavior, attention, and
learning difficulties; and,

Be It Further Resolved, that the Colorado State
Board of Education encourage greater
communication and education among parents,
educators, and medical professionals about the
effects of psychotropic drugs on student
achievement and our ability to provide a safe and
civil learning environment.

November 11, 1999

On this date, the Colorado State Board of
Education passed this resolution by a six-to-one
vote.

An Internet Opinion Poll conducted on the Rocky
Mountain News "InsideDenver.com" web site posed
this question a week following the Colorado
Board of Educations adoption of the above
resolution:

"Was the state board of education right to
attack the use of Ritalin?"

· 890 respondents (96%) said YES.
· 41 (4%) said NO.

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