Getting Hooked on "Smart Drugs"

Drugs like Ritalin and Adderall provide just the right amount of kick and focus for our over-achieving, ultra-competitive, BlackBerry-strapped society. Unlike the theoretical scenarios that bio-ethicists fret about - designer babies or human clones, cognitive enhancement drugs are here, now - on college campuses, in suburban neighborhoods and hi-tech high rises. Yet their long-term effects are still unkown.

Margaret Talbot is reporter-at-large for The New Yorker magazine. In this week's issue, she looks at what could be the defining drugs of our age. Margaret Talbot joins us from Washington, DC.

Neuroenhancing drugs have seeped into many parts of our society, including performing musicians. We also hear from NPR’s Next Generation Radio series about how classical musicians sometimes rely on betablockers to calm their pre-show jitters. Intern Edition’s Jamie Hammond explains. Click here to listen.

The New Yorker: The Underground World of “Neuroenhancing” Drugs

Slate.com: Adderall Nation

Boston Phoenix: Blooger Says New Yorker Almost Gets it Right

(Photo by Darren Hester via Flickr/Creative Commons)