College Students Should Be Allowed to Take Smart Drugs
Topics: Culture, Education, Health
Public Release Date: November 02, 2015
If you could take a pill that would help you study and get better grades, would you? Off-label use of “smart drugs” – pharmaceuticals meant to treat disorders like ADHD, narcolepsy, and Alzheimer’s – are becoming increasingly popular among college students hoping to get ahead, by helping them to stay focused and alert for longer periods of time. But is this cheating? Should their use as cognitive enhancers be approved by the FDA, the medical community, and society at large? Do the benefits outweigh the risks?
ARGUING YES:
Anjan Chatterjee: Professor at University of Pennsylvania, Chair of Neurology at Pennsylvania Hospital
Nita Farahany: Author of “The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology”, Professor at Duke University, and the Founding Director of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
ARGUING NO:
Eric Racine: Director of Neuroethics Research Unit at IRCM
Nicole Vincent: Associate Professor of Philosophy, Law, and Neuroscience at Georgia State University
MODERATOR-IN-CHIEF:
John Donvan: Emmy award-winning journalist