“Drug Test Students”, Says Boffin
Universities should consider testing students for ‘smart drugs’ before exams, according to a leading neuropsychologist.
Universities should consider testing students for ‘smart drugs’ before exams, according to a leading neuropsychologist.
The widespread use of ‘cognitive enhancement’ drugs like Ritalin and Modafinil has “enormous implications for universities”, warns Cambridge Professor of clinical neuropsychology Barbara Sahakian.
‘Smart drugs’ are freely available online and are normally prescribed for neurological conditions including Alzheimers, ADHD and narcolespsy.
The drugs work by improving alertness and attention, prompting concerns that they could give students an unfair advantage.
“This is something that universities really have to discuss. They should have some strategy, some kind of active policy,” Sahakian said.
Sahakian, speaking before a lecture at the Royal Institute of Health said urgent debate was needed on how society would deal with ‘smart drugs’.
She added: “The big question is, are we all going to be taking drugs in the next 10 years and boosting our cognition in that way?”
Some scientists believe that pharmaceutical advancement and cultural acceptance could make ‘cosmetic neurology’ as popular as beauty enhancements.
This has specific consequences for schools and universities, Prof Sahakian explained: “If these drugs become, essentially, legal, it will be difficult to say you can’t use them for a competitive exam.”
“Students who don’t use them feel this is cheating. This is something that universities should at least discuss.”
“Should there be urine testing? These questions have to be looked at.”
Surveys in the United States indicate that 16% of university students use ‘smart drugs’, and there are countless websites and chatrooms devoted to how best to get and use drugs to aid study
However not all students are won over by the promises of ‘smart drugs’. Michael Benson, a speaking on popular forum ‘The Student Room’ said, “The only supplement I take for examinations is my daily Fish Oil intake. You'd be better off spending your time revising rather than preparing a monologue to convince your doctor of the need for a prescription.”