Legalize Ritalin-Like Drugs as Brain Boosters: Experts

But Will Employers Turn into Pushers?

By Victoria Floethe, Newser User

Posted Dec 11, 2008 9:27 PM CST

(Newser) – Attention-disorder drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall are becoming so commonly used for the off-label purpose of gaining a mental edge that they should be legalized for such use, says a team of neuroscientists and ethicists. They make their case in Nature, arguing that laws "should be adjusted to avoid making felons out of those who seek to use safe cognitive enhancements," Wired reports.

Neuroethicist Martha Farah, one the paper's authors, adds a caveat: "First the early adopters use the enhancements to get an edge. Then, as more people adopt them, those who don't, feel they must just to stay competitive with what is, in effect, a new higher standard." About 7% of college students and 20% of scientists say they've used the drugs to stay sharp, and a new generation of more powerful drugs is sure to follow.

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Adderall (Flickr)

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Nobody rejects pasteurized milk or dental anesthesia or central heating because it's unnatural. And whether a brain is altered by drugs, education or healthy eating, it's being altered at the same neurobiological level. - Brandom Keim, Wired

Roughly 7% of all college students, and up to 20% of scientists, have already used Ritalin or Adderall — originally intended to treat attention-deficit disorders — to improve their mental performance. - Brandon Keim, Wired

If enough people improve their performance, then improvement becomes the status quo. Brain-boosting drug use could become a basic job requirement. - Brandon Keim, Wired

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Legalize Ritalin-Like Drugs as Brain Boosters: Experts