In my mind, it does not seem particularly unethical to use a study drug. It may be true that drugs such as Adderall boost concentration, allowing a student who takes them to work either less-distractedly or faster. But with these potential benefits come a slew of risks, which do not apply to traditional studying. These risks undermine the claim students who use study drugs have an advantage over their peers who don’t.
At the most basic level, unnecessarily taking stimulants carries the risk of immediate physical harm. A student who takes Adderall before a test could potentially improve their performance, or they could end up in the hospital and miss the test altogether. Study drugs such as amphetamines are also easy to become addicted to. The risk of addiction, which depletes a person in all sorts of ways, additionally undermines the potential benefits of study drugs for students.
Even if these more dire effects are absent, study drugs effects on information retention undermine the claim that they benefit students who take them. The stimulating effects of study drugs put the body in hyperdrive- for instance by increasing metabolism. As these effects wear off, the user experiences bodily exhaustion, which may include symptoms such as extreme tiredness, anxiety, and a difficulty to think clearly. All of these symptoms hinder a student’s ability to absorb whatever knowledge was supposed to be gained from completing the assignment in question.
Study drugs’ benefit of increased concentration is canceled out by the risks of death, addiction, and poorer comprehension. With all of these "AI tools," do students even take study drugs anymore?