The LSU Police Department caught three students in possession of Concerta, an attention hyperactivity deficit disorder medication, in the past month.
 
Concerta, an extended release medication similar to Adderall and Vyvanse, is a Schedule II controlled substance, and students illegally carrying the drug can face felony charges, said Sgt. Blake Tabor, LSUPD spokesman.
 
Tabor said charges for carrying a Schedule II substance include up to a $5,000 fine and up to five years in prison. He said intent to distribute charges can result in more severe punishments.
 
Tabor said the most common types of stimulant medications the department sees are Adderall and Concerta.
 
“It’s isolated on a case-by-case basis,” Tabor said. “We’ve seen crime trends for a few weeks, then other times we may go weeks or a semester without seeing it.”
 
Tabor said students with a prescription should carry stimulant drugs in the pharmacy bottle.
 
“It is against the law to carry controlled dangerous substances in containers that aren’t marked,” Tabor said.
 
Tabor said when the department finds stimulation drugs not in a container, officials will try to help the student find the bottle or prescription.
 
“If the bottle is in the dorm and the pills are in the car, we will take measures to get the bottle,” Tabor said.
 
Christopher Garner, associate director and chief psychologist at the Student Health Center, said Concerta is a psychological stimulant usually prescribed for ADHD.
 
Garner said these stimulant medications are performance enhancers, which help improve attention, processing speed and consciousness.
 
“Stimulants are performance enhancers whether you have ADHD or not,” Garner said.
These effects have led to these types of drugs being used by students for help with school, said Madeleine Gallaher, pre-nursing freshman.
 
“The proper usage of the drug is less than it used to be,” Gallaher said.
 
Garner said there’s not a lot of structure in many students’ lives, and they use the drug to help them stay up and focused all night.
 
Steven Gilliam, electrical engineering sophomore, said he has been prescribed Vyvanse since his junior year of high school.
 
“When I take it I focus on one thing for hours and hours until I get it done,” Gilliam said. “It helps with more than just school.”
 
 
 
 
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Contact Celeste Ansley at [email protected]