Subject: NY Post Prompts Cong Hearings re: Children prescribed Ritalin

Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 14:23:26 -0400

An investigative series by the New York Post re: the pressure brought to bear on parents to medicate their normal children with psychostimulant drugs–despite the risk of addiction and other serious adverse reactions– caught the attention of Congressman Dan Burton whose Committee on Government Reform will hold hearings Thursday. Neil Bush, the President’s brother will testify about his experience and struggle to protect his son.

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http://www.nypost.com/cgi-bin/printfriendly.pl

CONGRESS JUMPS INTO RITALIN FRAY

By DOUGLAS MONTERO

September 25, 2002 — Congress will investigate charges that schools are pressuring parents to medicate their children with Ritalin, The Post has learned. The House Committee on Government Reform will conduct a hearing tomorrow on the issue.

The hearings were prompted by a series in The Post detailing the plight of area parents and even the president’s brother, Neil Bush, who is expected to testify.

Last year, more than 110,000 school-age kids across the state were administered drugs commonly used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

That same year, doctors issued nearly 300,000 Ritalin prescriptions and more than 150,000 prescriptions for amphetamines commonly used to treat ADHD, the state Department of Health said.

Neil Bush, whose son Pierce, 16, was forcibly medicated at a Houston private school, hopes the hearings will show Congress there is a public “demand for action” as more and more parents across the nation speak out.

Copyright 2001 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

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