A natural outgrowth of society’s increased reliance on medication is a so-called smart drug doping scandal, in which normal high school and college students are turning to trickery and drug dealers to get their hands on nootropics, or smart drugs, that are designed to increase memory, energy level, and general cognition. It’s estimated that up to 25% of all college students use stimulant drugs for academic purposes, leading experts like Vinc Cakic of the University of Sydney in Australia to suggest that the increased academic doping merits a pre-examination urine test for performance-enhancing drugs.
Can you imagine having to pee in a cup before the ACT exam? Or maybe before final exams in high school? “Quiz bowl team on the left; football team on the right, and no pushing in line!”
If our top scientists are all hopeless pill addicts, then why shouldn’t students stuff some Adderall into themselves during midterms to get that extra energy needed to cram in studying and papers? When I was in college, I routinely stayed up all night and pounded gallons of coffee the next day. Actually, that’s kind of what I do now, too. I guess some things never change. If I could take a few pills, improve my intelligence level without heart palpitations or sweating, I’d do it in a caffeinated heartbeat.
Tags: drugs, doping, academic drugs, performance-enhancing drugs, smart drugs, drug testing before tests, smart drugs, Vince Cakic, nootropics, University of Sydney