[THS] Universities told to consider dope tests as student use of smart drugs soars

[Peter Webster]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/feb/21/smart-drugs-students-universities


Universities told to consider dope tests as student use of 'smart drugs' soars

Cambridge scientist calls for ethical debate on drugs bought on internet that boost
alertness and attention
Caroline Davies
The Observer, Sunday 21 February 2010
Article history

Universities must investigate measures, including random dope testing, to tackle the
increasing use of cognitive enhancment drugs by students for exams, a leading
behavioural neuro­scientist warns.

Student use of drugs, such as Ritalin and modafinil, available over the internet and
used to increase the brain's alertness, had "enormous implications for universities",
said Barbara Sahakian, a professor of clinical neuropsychology at Cambridge
University's psychiatry department.

Normally prescribed for neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease, attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy, such drugs boost acetylcholine
in the brain, improving alertness and attention. Their use has prompted 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.

"The coercion aspect is a strong one. Some students say they feel it is cheating, and
it puts pressure on them to feel they have to use these drugs when they don't really
want to."

Sahakian, whose work is at the forefront of research on the effects of such drugs on
healthy people, said urgent debate was now needed on the ethics of how society
dealt with "smart drugs".

Though data on long-term effects on healthy users was not yet available, some
scientists believe that pharmaceutical advancement and ­cultural acceptance could
make ­"cosmetic neurology" as popular as beauty "enhancements".

"If a safe and effective drug is developed which enhances cognition, then I think it
would be difficult not to allow access to it," Sahakian said. But if such drugs were
then legal, many ethical issues had to be addressed.

Speaking before a lecture at the Royal Institution tomorrow on the ethical
implications of smart drugs for universities and schools, 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?

"And if we are, will we use them to have a shorter working week, so we can go
home, spend more time with our families and have a good work/life balance? Or, will
we go headlong into a 24/7 society where we work all the time because we can work
all the time?

"You have to consider there are things that could be beneficial about such drugs
because we have an ageing population: people may have to work for longer, and
their pensions may not be performing. It may be, as you get older, that people may
want to take a cognitive enhancement drug."

Surveys in the United States indicate that 16% of university students are using "smart
drugs". There are global websites and chatrooms devoted to how to best use drugs
to aid study.

Most buy the drugs over the internet. "That is a real concern, because they are not
aware of what they are ­getting, or how it could affect them," Sahakian said.

A Nature magazine poll of 1,400 respondents – mostly scientists and researchers - 
indicated that one in five had used "smart drugs". Questioned about their attitude
towards use, the majority frowned on their use in competitive situations, such as
university entrance exams. However, some admitted that they would feel under
pressure to give their child a "smart" drug if other children were using them.

"If these drugs become, essentially, legal, it will be difficult to say you can't use them
for a competitive exam," Sahakian said. "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."