This is specifically about use of drugs like Ritalin and Adderall as stimulants, but in general it applies to any drug used not recreationally.

I recently read that more than 10% of college students in the United States used stimulants at some point in their time at school to aid them in their studies in 2005. Hospital visits because of misused prescription drugs also increased 20% from 04 to 05.

For more information, here is a nice useful article on the internet:
Ritalin Abuse Poses Risk During College Exam Week

Basically, is use of prescription drugs not to correct a problem, but to enhance people alright? Can it be beneficial? Personally, I do not think so (and the article tends to agree with me), but in another article from my newspaper (ie. I cannot link to it), many students who use the drugs believe it is completely okay and improves their performance.

People are going to abuse drugs in general. And you cannot stop that at all. And when it comes to college students abusing drugs. They probably think to more that they take, the better grades that they will take. I don't agree to that at all. But they should follow the instructions (obviously) on the medicine, and listen to what the doctor's say. Also there are just students who go out handing out medicine to others who aren't prescribed to that drug anyways. I think that it's okay for students to use those kinds of medicine so long they follow the directions. And if they abuse the drugs, then the doctor shouldn't allow that person to have that medicine at all. Though either way, drugs are going to be abused, and you cannot really get around that.

I personally just think the problem is with people thinking they know and understand more than they do. I mean, if you can only acquire it by the prescription of an expert, it must not be completely safe to use. Why do people think they're smarter than that? I know we'll always have 'drug use' in the traditional sense, and that's terrible. I look at it differently than people doing things like using Ritalin as a focus enhancing drug.
For example my aunt has been on anti-depressants for years. Nowadays she doesn't take them regularly, she takes none, and then a bunch when she feels depressed. She's a completely different person recently. Dozy, clumsy, slow, and downright dumb. I don't understand why she doesn't take them as prescribed.

As far as I know, all medicine isn't completely safe to use. It all poses it's own kind of issue. I mean, have you watched those commercials advertising all sorts of medicine??? Most of the time, most of the commercial is talking about the risks involved. And people who take medicine can be extremely stupid and take it the wrong way. And other times, if you take it the correct way, it can still pose a threat. Like myself, I take medicine for my epilepsy. I take four pills every night after dinner as my doctor has instructed. Things that it does to me??? It makes the gums in my mouth grow over my teeth, so I'm going to have to see a dentist and get that fixed. It also (supposedly, but I don't notice) make me drowsy. And things like that can't really be helped. And even medicine that is sold on the counters poses it's own problems. You just have to read the label and see what it is.

I live in Canada and I rarely watch TV. Those two things combined basically mean no, I haven't seen those commercials. I know what they're like though. =P

That's true though, all drugs aren't completely beneficial. Even what we all take for granted, like aspirin. I think our world is just too filled with drugs. We're all just used to having them around and them being okay to have around and use. That kind of familiarity doesn't necessarily mean abuse, but it can definitely lead to it.

Well in any case, if you flip on the T.V. a few times during commercial breaks, I'm sure that you'll see the ones that I'm referring to.

I just hate the kinds of people who think that they have to take something every time they hurt, have a slight cold, a slight headache. Things like that. People may not realize it, but that too is abusing drugs. It's a quick fix, but in the long run, it can pose a potential problem much worse than what you had before. I try not to take anything unless I fell that I NEED to take something in order to get better soon. I mean, headaches go away soon anyways, unless it's a migraine, then that's understandable.

Nope. In Canada there really aren't any big drug companies, so no big drug commercials. Public health care. We get tylenol and viagra commercials, but that's mostly it unless you're watching American channels.

I agree on the use of drugs. Again, it's a result of our familiarity with drugs. Lots of bad stuff comes of that. Besides the whole drug abuse we've already been talking about, there's even stuff like drug resistance. Way too much anti-biotics are used everywhere, and it makes resistant bacteria.