Quartz[1] :


Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder—ADHD—is big business these days. It has become the most-diagnosed long-term disorder after asthma, reports the New York Times[2] . Over 3.5 million American children currently take an ADHD drug, a nearly 500% increase since 1990.


And these drugs, like Adderall, Ritalin, and Concerta, aren’t cheap. Sales of prescription stimulants reached almost $9 billion last year in the US alone, according to data from healthcare technology and information company IMS Health. They have more than quintupled since 2002.


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“The numbers make it look like an epidemic,” psychologist and Duke professor Dr. Conners told the Times. The thrust of the paper’s report is that the rise of Adderall and drugs like it has much to do not with an increase in the number of kids with ADHD but with the lengths to which Big Pharma has gone to market the drugs, targeting first children, and now increasingly adults, effectively turning the disorder into a more loosely diagnosed affliction that brings in billions of dollars in revenue every year.


And it isn’t only a problem in the US, but in many countries in the world, according to a report in 2009 from the International Narcotics Control Board:


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-- How the “internet of things” will replace the web[3] [4] [5] [6]



Also on HuffPost:




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  • 1. Smoking-related health conditions are a <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/" target="_blank">leading cause of death in the United States</a>, accounting for nearly one of every five deaths annually. Source: <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/" target="_blank">The Centers For Disease Control</a>




  • 2. Every year, <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/" target="_blank">tobacco use kills more Americans</a> than HIV, drug and alcohol abuse, suicides, murders and car accidents combined. Source: <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/" target="_blank">The Centers For Disease Control</a>




  • 3. Secondhand smoke accounts for <a href="http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/about-smoking/health-effects/secondhand-smoke.html" target="_blank">approximately 50,000 deaths</a> in the United States every year. Source: <a href="http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/about-smoking/health-effects/secondhand-smoke.html" target="_blank">The American Lung Association</a>




  • 4. Cigarette smoke emits <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/tobacco-farming-increases-global-warming-by-deforestation-and-contributes-to-world-hunger" target="_blank">nearly 8 billion kilograms</a> of greenhouse gases annually. Source: <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/tobacco-farming-increases-global-warming-by-deforestation-and-contributes-to-world-hunger" target="_blank">Examiner.com</a>




  • 5. Tobacco farming also contributes to deforestation, <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/tobacco-farming-increases-global-warming-by-deforestation-and-contributes-to-world-hunger" target="_blank">destroying more than 500,000 acres of forest a year</a>. Source: <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/tobacco-farming-increases-global-warming-by-deforestation-and-contributes-to-world-hunger" target="_blank">Examiner.com</a>




  • 6. If tobacco farmers around the globe were to grow food instead, they could feed <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/tobacco-farming-increases-global-warming-by-deforestation-and-contributes-to-world-hunger" target="_blank">more than 70 percent</a> of the world's 28 million malnourished people. Source: <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/tobacco-farming-increases-global-warming-by-deforestation-and-contributes-to-world-hunger" target="_blank">Examiner.com</a>




  • 7. In 2012, cigarette companies spent <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/indusclient.php?id=a02&year=2012" target="_blank">nearly $27 million</a> lobbying government agencies and members of Congress. Source: <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/indusclient.php?id=a02&year=2012" target="_blank">OpenSecrets.org</a>




  • 8. Big Tobacco companies <a href="http://health.usnews.com/health-news/managing-your-healthcare/policy/articles/2009/02/12/tobacco-companies-targeting-teens-study-says" target="_blank">market covertly to teens</a>, despite publicly stating that youth should not smoke. Source: <a href="http://health.usnews.com/health-news/managing-your-healthcare/policy/articles/2009/02/12/tobacco-companies-targeting-teens-study-says" target="_blank">U.S. News & World Report</a>




  • 9. Each year, the industry <a href="http://news.stanford.edu/news/2011/december/tobacco-industry-proctor-121211.html" target="_blank">spends more than $400 per customer</a> on special promotions, coupons, mailers and other direct marketing efforts to make sure current smokers don't kick their addictions. Source: <a href="http://news.stanford.edu/news/2011/december/tobacco-industry-proctor-121211.html" target="_blank">Stanford University</a>




  • 10. Now, companies are pushing expensive and unregulated e-cigarettes. A <a href="http://www.v2cigs.com/categories/electronic-cigarette-starter-kits" target="_blank">"starter kit"</a> -- which includes an e-cigarette device, batteries, nicotine cartridges and other accessories -- can cost upwards of $100. Source: <a href="http://www.v2cigs.com/categories/electronic-cigarette-starter-kits" target="_blank">v2cigs.com</a>




  • 11. What's more, e-cigarettes are <a href="http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/21087587/fox-5-investigates-e-cigarettes#axzz2X9Yi7JgL" target="_blank">offered in a variety of flavors</a> that young children and teens could find especially appealing, like cherry, grape, vanilla and strawberry. Source: <a href="http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/21087587/fox-5-investigates-e-cigarettes#axzz2X9Yi7JgL" target="_blank">Fox 5 News</a>




  • 12. The health effects of e-cigarettes are still unknown. Medical associations and regulatory bodies are concerned that e-cigarettes are nothing more than a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/13/e-cigarettes-electronic-tobacco-smoking-help-smokers-quit_n_3433791.html" target="_blank">"gateway" to a nicotine addiction</a>. Source: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/13/e-cigarettes-electronic-tobacco-smoking-help-smokers-quit_n_3433791.html" target="_blank">The Huffington Post</a>