Cambridge University students take 'smart drugs to stay alert'

Students from Cambridge University are increasingly turning to ‘smart drugs’ bought on the internet to stay awake, a new report suggests.
Doctors have reported a rise in the number of students using the anti-narcolepsy drug Modafinil to stay alert for long periods.
Anecdotal evidence has suggested that as a new academic year begins, there is now a black market at universities, including Cambridge, Sky News has reported.
The report goes on to say that students are even selling the prescription-only drug to each other for around £2 a pill,
Barbara Sahakian, professor of clinical neuropsychology at Cambridge University, said there had been an “explosion” in the number of students taking Modafinil in the last few years.
She said: “A lot of young people are purchasing these drugs over the internet, which is a very unsafe way to get these drugs because you don’t really know what you’re getting and you don’t know if it’s safe for you as an individual.
“There’s this kind of coercion that goes on. I think a lot of students feel it’s very unfair that other students are taking these drugs during exams and they feel that they’re losing out because the other person has a competitive advantage.”
Professor Sahakian, who is a fellow at Clare Hall, added: “Some students feel when you go into the exam perhaps there should be a test to see whether you’re on the drug or not, because otherwise there’s no way of detecting whether you are or not.
“What are the effects of putting a drug into and changing the chemicals in your brain as your brain’s developing?
“What will society be like in the future? Will we all be just popping pills to stay awake and alert and keep working? Will we accelerate into a 24/7 society? Is that what we really want?”
Universities UK has said there is no firm evidence that taking “smart drugs” is widespread among students.

(Source: Cambridge-News)