Remember that one movie, where the guy takes a magic pill and he becomes called super smart and can do things he wouldn’t otherwise be able to achieve? Oh yes, it’s called Limitless. Now yes, that’s just a motion picture, but what if I told you that there was a drug enhancer out on the black market that would enhance both work and play, almost comparable to the fiction-based movie? No, I’m not talking about the common street drug MDMA, I’m talking about Modafinil. Modafinil is a part of a new drug line otherwise called “brain boosters”. A few other drugs that have been surfacing the media alongside Modafinil which would include Ampakines, Donepezil, Propranolol, and Mem compounds (Mem’s is three separate substances.) They’re all very interesting, new drugs in which little research has be done with. All of these substances seem to have their pros and con’s, seeing as how you can buy them off the black market via internet. I would like to specifically talk about the drug Modafinil though. Personally, living in Omaha, NE I have heard of this drug. Yes, THIS IS ABSOLUELTY MIND BLOWING! This is very surprising seeing as how I came to Lincoln for college and this specific word comes up in my studies.
In response to the article “Smart drugs for straight A’s” it discusses the use of this drug on all different social aspects. Academics, recreational use, and even medical usage for diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Modafinil specifically seems to improve short-term memory, the ability to plan and process information, and helps a person to be less impulsive and more reflective about their decision-making, which lends itself to greater accuracy. See how you could use this drug for your daily agenda? When individuals experimented with the drug in the article they saw immediate results of success in almost everything they were doing. Whether it was taking a piloting test, school work, or academics exams. This seems like the end of “dumb blondes” right? Ha! Not so fast There is so little information about the long term effects of this substance that I would never tell anyone to take this drug. Then there’s also the entire moral situation you must deal with.
Just like this article stated and even my former classmate Matt himself, you can go on the internet and purchase these little pills on the black market for a cheap price. Who’s to say that the individuals with money start becoming incredibly more intelligent than the lower class, to the point where there is no return? It’s just going to make the poor poorer, in regards to education and getting a job. Another issue to look at is children! Are we going to start prescribing five year olds medicine that we know nothing about, and try to improve their short-term memory, the ability to plan and process information? I sense a huge moral issue underlying that question. I also took time to google this drug and I found some people overseas that had personal experiences with this substances. In all three readings I found, the results and stories were completely different. One individual claimed to have hallucinated off the drug for heaven’s sake!
All in all, I think that this drug needs to be researched a lot more but NOT distributed to anyone in the world. I still can’t believe a high school dropout I attended school with was able to attain drugs like these by a click of a mouse. That scares me, but hey, you can find just about anything you want on the internet (Don’t even get me started about the SIlkRoad!). I would like to see drugs like this blossom into a possible cure for the dreadful diseases like Alzheimer’s. Then maybe the generations to come won’t have to see Mom and Dad’s brains deteriorate right in front of them from old age and PTSD. I would like to leave you with a question though, especially you Mr. Hibbing & Mr. Peterson If you had one of those little green pills sitting on your desk, and only one. Would you take it, or throw it away?
Sources:
"It's Academicor Is It 'Enhancing' Academic Performance with Drugs." CODA. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. <http://www.drugabuse.ca/it’s-academicor-it-‘enhancing’-academic-performance-drugs>.
"FuturesAsia: Smart Drugs for Straight As." FuturesAsia: Smart Drugs for Straight As. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. <http://futuresasia.blogspot.com/2010/02/smart-drugs-for-straight-as.html>.
