The Feed: Smart drugs

Next week The Feed on SBS 2 presents a Forum on “Smart Drugs”, set to screen ahead of ABC2’s special week of programming.

As a late change in the schedule, anyone would think they were following suit!

At least it’s an important topic.

Should we take a drug that improves our memory, makes us more alert, or actually smarter? Australian researchers are trying to find out just how many students and workers are using prescription ADHD pills, sleep drugs and beta blockers for purposes other than prescribed. On a special forum edition of The Feed, we meet a young professional who faked ADHD symptoms to get a Ritalin prescription (and, she says, two promotions), a philosopher who once took narcolepsy drugs, a former Mr Universe who admits to steroid use, and a “mental athlete” who hated the ADD prescription he was forced to take as a teen but now sees enormous potential in the drugs. Presenter Marc Fennell asks: if the side effects are minimal and the benefits significant, what’s the problem?

9:35pm Thursday July 23 on SBS 2.