Earlier in the fall, a coffee shop called Common Grounds arrived near Temple University's campus. Everyone has been talking about it...but not in a good way.
Students who graduated from Temple run the shop, so it's no surprise that Temple students wanted to support them. From what I've heard, the coffee is pretty good, and the atmosphere is great for studying.
All of those things are wonderful, but I have a huge problem with it. It all involves a sign glorifying substance abuse.
The sign, which has now been removed due to backlash, read "Up all night on Adderall."
Adderall is a drug that many students misuse to stay awake and alert while studying late at night. It's so common that Adderall is sold like candy. Taking one pill might seem harmless, but taking too many repeatedly can cause serious health problems.
I was once prescribed Adderall and was misdiagnosed. I didn't really have ADHD. My body responded terribly to the drug. My heart rate skyrocketed. My anxiety went through the roof. Many people who don't have ADHD and even some people who do experience horrible side effects like this to Adderall.
Why would a coffee shop encourage this? What is so trendy about substance abuse?
To make things worse, Common Grounds tried to defend their sign. They said that it was supposed to be artistic. It wasn't supposed to encourage students to misuse Adderall.
It probably didn't encourage any students to take Adderall. That's not the point here.
The problem is that it made misuse of drugs like Adderall seem normal and trendy. It was also a focal point of the coffee shop. Common Grounds has deleted every trace of the sign from their Instagram page, but many people would pose in front of it. The sign definitely got exposure.
Why not "Up all night on caffeine?". I don't get it. It would have been that easy. If they made a sign about caffeine, I would probably be drinking their coffee right now.
You might be asking yourself, "The sign has been taken down. Why does it still matter?"
Yes, the sign has been taken down. That's great, but the damage has already been done. How could business school graduates believe that the sign was a good idea in the first place? That's beyond me.
I support small businesses, but I don't support reckless businesses.
