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Legal or Not, Bottled Smarts Are Here to Stay

Safer, cheaper drugs will quell dissidents, scientists argue

By Ambreen Ali,  Newser User

Posted Jan 7, 2009 6:52 AM CST

(Newser) – The case is stacking up in favor of "smart pills," memory- and alertness-boosting prescription drugs already used by fighter pilots, corporate execs, and students for a cognitive edge, writes Maia Szalavitz in Time. Proponents say legalization debates are moot at this point—"the genie is already out of the bottle," says one neuroscientist—and attention should shift instead to addressing opponents' main concerns: health risks, accessibility, and cost.

"It would be hard to argue against promoting the use of an intelligence-enhancer, if it were risk-free and available to everyone." But access, writes Szalavitz, "is neither fair nor free." One doctor who prescribes such pills echoes concerns about creating an uneven playing field. "Society pushes so much to maximize production and performance that enhancement becomes normal."

Fighter pilots already take stimulants to increase their alertness for critical missions.
Fighter pilots already take stimulants to increase their alertness for critical missions.   (AP Photo/Ognjan Stefanov)
Since the pills are already being consumed, attention should turn instead to mitigating risks and increasing availability, some argue.
Since the pills are already being consumed, attention should turn instead to mitigating risks and increasing availability, some argue.   (AP Photo/Eckehard Schulz, File)
Among elite universities, 25% of students admit having taken pills to help them perform.
Among elite universities, 25% of students admit having taken pills to help them perform.   (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, file)
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COMMENTS
Showing 1 of 1 comment
atris999
Jan 8, 2009 10:43 PM CST
We're well on our way to a society of meth heads. God forbid you think for yourself.

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