Students Using "Study Drugs" Actually Had Worse Grades Linked to Cannabis and Alcohol Problems
College students who used prescription stimulants to study were not compensating for inherent academic weakness but rather for declining performance driven by increasing cannabis and alcohol problems.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Researchers followed 984 college students over four annual waves. Over a third (38%) reported using prescription stimulants for studying by year 4. The key finding challenged the "smart drug" narrative: stimulant use for studying was not driven by students seeking an academic edge, but was associated with a trajectory of escalating substance use, increased class-skipping, and declining GPA.
Canabis use disorder predicted increases in skipping class, which was associated with declining GPA, which in turn was associated with stimulant use for studying. Alcohol use disorder showed the same pattern.
Key Numbers
984 students, 4 annual waves. 38% used prescription stimulants for studying by year 4. Cannabis use disorder predicted increased class-skipping, which predicted declining GPA. The trajectory from substance problems to academic decline to stimulant use was confirmed for both cannabis and alcohol.
How They Did This
Longitudinal prospective study of 984 students in the College Life Study at a large public US university. Four annual data waves. Measured DSM-IV cannabis and alcohol use disorders, class attendance, GPA (from university records), and nonmedical prescription stimulant use. Growth curve modeling estimated trajectory associations.
Why This Research Matters
The "study drug" phenomenon is often portrayed as ambitious students seeking a cognitive edge. This study reveals a darker picture: stimulant use for studying is associated with a decline driven by substance use problems. Rather than being a study aid, it may be a marker of students in academic trouble.
The Bigger Picture
This study reframes nonmedical stimulant use from a performance-enhancement issue to a substance use disorder issue. Students using "study drugs" may benefit more from comprehensive substance use assessment than from academic tutoring.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Single university; findings may differ at other institutions. Self-reported stimulant use and class attendance are subject to bias. The study cannot prove the causal direction between cannabis use and academic decline. Students who dropped out were lost to follow-up.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would addressing cannabis and alcohol use problems reduce prescription stimulant misuse?
- ?Should universities screen for substance use disorders when students present with academic difficulty?
- ?Does the stimulant use actually help these students or just mask the underlying problem?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 38% of students used prescription stimulants for studying by year 4
- Evidence Grade:
- Longitudinal study with university GPA data and growth curve modeling; moderate evidence for the substance use-academic decline pathway.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2013. Nonmedical stimulant use among college students remains a significant concern.
- Original Title:
- Dispelling the myth of "smart drugs": cannabis and alcohol use problems predict nonmedical use of prescription stimulants for studying.
- Published In:
- Addictive behaviors, 38(3), 1643-50 (2013)
- Authors:
- Arria, Amelia M(3), Wilcox, Holly C(2), Caldeira, Kimberly M(2), Vincent, Kathryn B, Garnier-Dykstra, Laura M, O'Grady, Kevin E
- Database ID:
- RTHC-00646
Evidence Hierarchy
Follows a group of people over time to track how outcomes develop.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Are prescription stimulants "smart drugs"?
This study challenges that label. Students using stimulants for studying were not high-performers seeking an edge. They were students with escalating substance use problems (cannabis, alcohol) who were skipping more classes and seeing their grades decline. The stimulant use appeared to be a response to academic decline, not a cause of academic success.
How does cannabis use connect to stimulant use?
The pathway went: cannabis use disorder increased class-skipping, which lowered GPA, which was associated with turning to prescription stimulants as a "study aid." In other words, cannabis-related academic problems drove students to seek stimulants as a compensatory strategy.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-00646APA
Arria, Amelia M; Wilcox, Holly C; Caldeira, Kimberly M; Vincent, Kathryn B; Garnier-Dykstra, Laura M; O'Grady, Kevin E. (2013). Dispelling the myth of "smart drugs": cannabis and alcohol use problems predict nonmedical use of prescription stimulants for studying.. Addictive behaviors, 38(3), 1643-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.10.002
MLA
Arria, Amelia M, et al. "Dispelling the myth of "smart drugs": cannabis and alcohol use problems predict nonmedical use of prescription stimulants for studying.." Addictive behaviors, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.10.002
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Dispelling the myth of "smart drugs": cannabis and alcohol u..." RTHC-00646. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/arria-2013-dispelling-the-myth-of
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.