Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
NRA Links School Violence to Ritalin But Experts Deny Link
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 7 years ago on
May 21, 2018

Share

The National Rifle Association’s incoming president has linked school shootings and other violence to using medications such as Ritalin.
Retired Lt. Col. Oliver North told “Fox News Sunday” that perpetrators of school violence “have been drugged in many cases” and “many of these young boys have been on Ritalin since they were in kindergarten.”

“There’s really no evidence whatsoever that links treatment for ADHD with Ritalin and drugs like that with violence, let alone gun violence.” — Lehigh University’s George DuPaul
He also blamed a “culture where violence is commonplace,” pointing to TV and movies.

Eight Students, Two Teachers Die in School Shooting

North’s comments followed the attack Friday at Santa Fe High School outside Houston that left eight students and two teachers dead. Investigators have given no indication that they believe the 17-year-old suspect, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, used Ritalin, which treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or other drugs.
Pagourtzis’ attorney, Nicholas Poehl, said Sunday that he was not aware that his client was on any specific medication. He said he was surprised that someone with North’s experience with the criminal justice system would “make those kind of generalizations with a case that’s less than 48 hours old.”
An NRA spokesman, Andrew Arulanandam, confirmed North was speaking on the organization’s behalf and said “there are others who share this viewpoint.”

Researcher Disputes NRA’s Claim

George DuPaul, a psychologist at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania whose research has focused on ADHD treatment, said a deeper body of research exists on the effects of Ritalin and similar drugs than of treatments for any other condition in children. He said it doesn’t support North’s claim.
“There’s really no evidence whatsoever that links treatment for ADHD with Ritalin and drugs like that with violence, let alone gun violence,” he said.
If anything, DuPaul said, children tend to be less aggressive.

Abdul Aziz Sheikh, left, father of Sabika Sheikh.
Abdul Aziz Sheikh, left, father of Sabika Sheikh, a victim of a shooting at a Texas high school, comforts an elderly woman arriving for condolence at his home in Karachi, Pakistan, Saturday, May 19, 2018. The Pakistani foreign exchange student is among those killed in the shooting, according to a leader at a program for foreign exchange students and the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
“Certainly, there is some concern in the scientific and clinical community about the potential overreliance on these drugs,” he said, “but it’s a real stretch to go from that concern to connecting these kinds of drugs to these kinds of acts.”
The FDA’s medication guide on Ritalin says to watch for “new or worse aggressive behavior or hostility.”
DuPaul said the warning may be a case of being “overly inclusive” of possible side effects or a hint to underlying issues in patients.
“What’s more likely is that kids with mental health conditions who engage in this type of violent behavior, it’s the underlying condition and not the treatment that leads to this behavior,” he said.

DON'T MISS

Westminster Show’s Canine Athletes Compete on Super Bowl Weekend

DON'T MISS

Trump Admin Cuts Billions in Biomedical Health Research Funding

DON'T MISS

Here’s What We Know About a Commuter Plane Crash in Alaska That Killed 10 People

DON'T MISS

Trump’s 3rd Week: More Executive Orders, a Trade War That Wasn’t, and a Mideast Jolt

DON'T MISS

UMass Will Pay Student Who Made Half-Court Shot $10,000 Even Though His Foot Was on Line

DON'T MISS

Trump Is Signing Up Local Law Officers to Help With Immigration Enforcement

DON'T MISS

Judge Blocks Trump From Placing Thousands of USAID Workers on Leave

DON'T MISS

Federal Judge Blocks Musk’s DOGE From Accessing Sensitive Treasury Department Data

DON'T MISS

Rookies for Eagles and Chiefs Could Play a Key Role in the Super Bowl

DON'T MISS

Sony PlayStation Network Outage Enrages Gamers Around the World

UP NEXT

California’s EV Sales Stall. So What Happens to Landmark Mandate?

UP NEXT

State Farm Asks for ‘Emergency’ Insurance Rate Increases After LA Fires

UP NEXT

Lawmakers Propose $175 Million in New CalFire Funding

UP NEXT

Rob Bonta Tells Politico That He’s Not Running for CA Governor

UP NEXT

LA Neighbors Have Vastly Different Post-Wildfire Rebuilding Options Due to Insurance Crisis

UP NEXT

Where Will Californians Rally During Nationwide Protest Against Trump Administration?

UP NEXT

San Francisco Ready to Grant New Mayor Greater Powers to Battle Fentanyl Crisis

UP NEXT

CA Allocates $50M to Safeguard Policies, Protect Immigrants Against Trump

UP NEXT

Newsom Counters Trump, Orders More Stormwater Stored in Valley Reservoirs

UP NEXT

Protests in All 50 States Against Trump’s Administration on Wednesday

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Trump’s 3rd Week: More Executive Orders, a Trade War That Wasn’t, and a Mideast Jolt

8 hours ago

UMass Will Pay Student Who Made Half-Court Shot $10,000 Even Though His Foot Was on Line

9 hours ago

Trump Is Signing Up Local Law Officers to Help With Immigration Enforcement

9 hours ago

Judge Blocks Trump From Placing Thousands of USAID Workers on Leave

9 hours ago

Federal Judge Blocks Musk’s DOGE From Accessing Sensitive Treasury Department Data

10 hours ago

Rookies for Eagles and Chiefs Could Play a Key Role in the Super Bowl

10 hours ago

Sony PlayStation Network Outage Enrages Gamers Around the World

10 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Firing Kennedy Center Board Members, Naming Himself Chairman

10 hours ago

PJ Pickles, the Pajama-Clad Pup, Want to Join Your Loving Home

10 hours ago

Newsom Signs $50M Plan to Battle Trump Policies, Support Immigrants

1 day ago

Westminster Show’s Canine Athletes Compete on Super Bowl Weekend

NEW YORK — They’re at the top of their sport. They run, weave and go airborne. And they went all out for this weekend’s champion...

50 minutes ago

50 minutes ago

Westminster Show’s Canine Athletes Compete on Super Bowl Weekend

2 hours ago

Trump Admin Cuts Billions in Biomedical Health Research Funding

7 hours ago

Here’s What We Know About a Commuter Plane Crash in Alaska That Killed 10 People

8 hours ago

Trump’s 3rd Week: More Executive Orders, a Trade War That Wasn’t, and a Mideast Jolt

9 hours ago

UMass Will Pay Student Who Made Half-Court Shot $10,000 Even Though His Foot Was on Line

9 hours ago

Trump Is Signing Up Local Law Officers to Help With Immigration Enforcement

9 hours ago

Judge Blocks Trump From Placing Thousands of USAID Workers on Leave

10 hours ago

Federal Judge Blocks Musk’s DOGE From Accessing Sensitive Treasury Department Data

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend