Linda Gray-No Mandatory Medication Use to Attend School

Linda Gray has been concerned with the 600% increase across our country in the use of psychiatric drugs such as Ritalin for a long time.

Ritalin is a Schedule II controlled stimulant, structurally and pharmacologically similar to amphetamines and cocaine and has the same dependency profile of cocaine and other stimulants (U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Agency, Drug and Chemical Evaluation section, 1995). The DEA’s listed side effects include increases in blood pressure, heart rate, respirations and temperature, appetite suppression, weight loss, growth retardation, psychotic episodes, facial tics, muscle twitching, central nervous system stimulation, euphoria, nervousness, irritability, agitation, hallucinations, violent behavior, paranoid delusions, bizarre behaviors, heart arrhythmias, palpitations, psychological dependence and death.

During her tenure, Linda supported the passage of a bill in Arizona that simply stated, “A school district employee shall not require, as a condition of attending school, the use of psychiatric medication.” In parallel with her efforts at the state level, the U.S. Congress passed legislation which stated that a school could not require a child to use Ritalin as a condition for receiving educational services.

For other information regarding Ritalin, please see the following websites and other resources: