'I Owe My Degree To Drugs'

"Without study pills I wouldn't have passed"

The shocking claim of a 21 year old student.

The man, who doesn't want to be named, told us:

"Yeah I owe my degree to drugs, I wouldn’t be graduating with a 2:1 if I hadn’t have used study pills, I’m not the only one though, I know others who’ve used them, I didn’t think about side effects or dangers, they looked legit when they came, so I took them”

Students across the UK have taken to using 'study pills' such as Modafinil in order to stay awake and work for longer.

The pills should only be prescribed after a hospital visit, but, like our reporter Micky Welch found, they can be bought online for less than £1 per pill.

Modafinil is a powerful stimulant normally prescribed to sufferers of narcolepsy (a brain disorder that causes a person to suddenly fall asleep at inappropriate times) to help them stay awake.

The student, who has passed his degree with a 2:1, said he bought a batch in bulk with others on his course, he told us what effect they have:

"It’s like a little buzz at first, you can work non-stop, you don’t feel tired, just like a switch has been flicked on"

Dr George Rae, chairman of the North East British Medical Association told us everyone, not just students, buying prescription medication, meant for in some cases serious conditions is a massive concern for GPs.

"It's a big no-no, and if anybody says, well you know, I did it, and I got away with it, well, you're lucky, but, I'll tell you, if a lot of people end up doing that, they ain't going to get away with it as far as their health's concerned."

You can here more from Micky here: