By Jessica Pretorius and Aarti Malhotra
A recent investigation by The Times has found that the use of focus-boosting ‘study drugs’ has proliferated on UK campuses, with LSE amongst the universities reporting this trend.
Study drugs, also known as cognitive enhancers, include Eugeroics and other ADHD medication, and are used to enhance academic performance by boosting energy levels, memory, and concentration. According to a Loughborough University survey of students at 54 UK institutions, 19 percent of respondents reported having used study drugs. The study also pointed to the wide accessibility of such drugs despite them being prescription-authorised. The Office for Students has called the increase in study drug use “worrying”.
Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, announced an investigation into campus drug use which would include cognitive enhancers, The Times reported. The study, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2022, will also include new guidance for universities to address drug use on campus.
According to MailOnline, Sir Anthony Seldon, former vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham, said the use of such unauthorised prescription medicines should be banned because they give an unfair advantage and pose health risks: “It’s dangerous, we don’t know the long-term effects. It puts pressure on students, you become a mug if you are not doing it.”
Although no university in the UK has explicitly banned the use of study drugs, the University of Edinburgh stated that the use of such drugs violates its “code of student conduct”, which prohibits the use of unfair means in assessments.
During the January exam season, a typically high-stress environment, The Beaver spoke to LSE students about their experiences and thoughts on the use of study drugs.
Many of those interviewed expressed a personal aversion to using study drugs, citing health concerns. However, they also explained that they did not particularly mind if their peers wanted to take them. A third-year Accounting and Finance student explained to The Beaver that “doing [study drugs] seems okay to me as long as it’s a one-off or a once-a-year type of thing. I know there are health concerns; for example, in the BBC series Industry, a graduate dies from the use of study drugs which shows how serious it can be and how addictive they are. But I think they are okay if you’re doing it infrequently to boost your productivity for a big deadline.”
Some students felt that the use of study drugs is an ingrained part of university education. A second-year Philosophy and Economics student called study drugs an “occupational hazard of life at LSE”, explaining that “students feel they need them in order to stay on top of the mounds of reading and problem sets that the various departments inundate us with. Clearly, they are bad things to take because of the side effects and withdrawal symptoms, but in order to stay ahead of the curve in this pressure cooker of an institution, what other choice do people have?” All the students interviewed were previously aware of the use of study drugs on campus.
An LSE spokesperson said: “If it was believed a student had acted in a manner that had breached their conditions of Registration, we would conduct an investigation under our Disciplinary Procedure for Students. Rather than resorting to potentially harmful drugs, we would encourage all our students to make use of all the assistance and support available to them at LSE through their departments, via LSE LIFE, and the Student Wellbeing Service.”
