Is there still value in a natural work ethic, or are neuroenhancers simply the next step in an efficient and dedicated work ethic?

Generally, patients trust their doctor implicitly to prescribe safe and effective medications to treat their health condition. They take it because they want to get well, even if they are wary of ingesting non-natural ‘chemical’ products.

I think most people would think twice about taking a drug for performance enhancement rather than for treating an ailment and would prefer a more naturalistic approach of non-drug intervention based on physical exercise and cognitive training to maintain/improve performance, with negligible risk of side effects.

However, this could change if a new generation of truly ‘smart drugs’ were developed with an acceptable safety profile. As the price of these new drugs came down, more people would seek the benefits which would in turn pressure drug-free individuals to do likewise in an increasingly competitive environment.

The biggest hurdle would be a regulatory one, requiring a seismic shift in drug regulation to approve specific physical/cognitive benefits for use by otherwise healthy individuals.

To date the Therapeutic Drugs Administration’s (TGA) position is that if a drug is unscheduled in Australia, it can’t be sold or marketed here (but can be imported for personal use (ref Personal Importation Scheme). This seriously limits the commercial potential of the nootropic market in the current situation.

The commonplace use of cognitive enhancers is probably not the ‘next step’ but will eventually happen when the pharmacology is right and the regulatory environment has responded to consumer demand.

Bio enhancements could also be expanded to include the fitness industry, where performance-enhancing drugs range from commercial supplements to the non-medical use of anabolic steroids, hormones, and stimulants. Are these two contexts comparable?

There are certainly parallels between cognitive and physical performance enhancement.

However, the use of anabolic steroids, human growth hormones and sex hormones are synonymous with cheating, personal vanity and body dysmorphia. In addition, the drugs concerned have a history of serious side effects. Accordingly, anabolic steroids are excluded from the Personal Importation Scheme. This is some heavy baggage.

If new drugs could be developed with much improved safety and ease of administration, the existing market would certainly expand in response. However, it would still be covert activity unless the regulatory authorities accept that both physical and cognitive enhancers have a place in our society for use by healthy individuals.

I think the regulatory authorities will be more amenable to cognitive enhancers given the greater value placed on intellectual ability and the historical baggage around physical enhancement and the assisted body building sub-culture.

Final Part

Note from Martin Lancaster – ‘the opinions expressed above are mine alone and should not be attributed to any other individuals or entities.’