The FDA declared a shortage of the ingredients used to produce Adderall on October 12, 2022. Since then, many people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who take stimulant medications have experienced difficulty accessing their prescriptions. 

The more stitches, the less riches,” declares Aldous Huxley in his novel, “Brave New World.” Instead of fixing old items, citizens of the World State are encouraged to buy new ones instead. This aptly describes the ongoing dilemma with public education and one solution that has begun popping up.

Recently, Student Life ran an article about the use of the so-called “academic drugs” such as Adderall, that, through their usage, allow students to operate at a level beyond their normal peak efficiency and study for long hours into the night.

Little, round and packed with amphetamines: prescription stimulants. They’re a source of relief for overworked students across the nation and at Washington University. But a recent revision to the honor code at Wesleyan University has put the spotlight on not just the legality of these drugs, but also the morality of using them in an academic setting.

A recent revision to the honor code at Wesleyan University has put the spotlight on not just the legality of “study drug” medications, but also the morality of using them in an academic setting.

Advocating the widespread availability of prescription study drugs isn’t exactly a righteous or easy topic to tackle. The simple fact of the matter is, however, that these are the equivalent of educational steroids, and they provide an undeniable comparative advantage.