He knows he probably shouldn’t have, but driven by curiosity and a basic desire to succeed, Dan downed the Adderall he got from a friend.

He didn’t have a prescription, but it was just like friends told him. A junior at a Woodstock high school at the time, Dan remembers soaking up information at a rate he’d never been able to without the pill.

“It’s like a fail safe – like a safety net, I guess, if you’re afraid you aren’t going to pass,” said the now out-of-state college student, who upon his request will not be identified by his full name in this story. “If you do a study session with Adderall, you’d be surprised how your grades improve.”