It is a well-known concept that people use drugs to, “enhance their lives.” But, if everyone’s lives are enhanced, will that really make us overall happier people? There are a variety of drugs on the market, and some not legally on the market, all with different purposes and effects. In the article, “Will Drugs Make Us Happier”, James Vlahos, analyzes these different purposes, and discusses the extent in which the general public benefits from the use of drugs. There is a general circumstance, which leads people to pick up drugs from a pharmacy. People are usually given a prescription from their doctor for a medication of some sort, which is supposed to make them “feel better”, because there is likely something wrong with their health. However, it is no secret that people get ahold of drugs illegally, sometimes for reasons other than to suppress an illness. A Microsoft software designer, Ramez Naam, “envisions a future where biotechnology will allow us to shatter natural evolutionary limits.” Furthermore, a future where drugs will allow people to be capable of far more than just what they were designed to be able to do. Naam suggests that the sole use of drugs shouldn’t just be for “therapeutic means.” A drug called, known as “ampakines”, is being developed as a memory enhancer. Four million Americans suffer from developing Alzheimer’s, and ten million Americans have age associated memory loss. And there are at least forty other companies associated with the development of “memory drugs.” But some, like Naam, are suggesting that ampakines should not only be used to help those suffering from memory loss, but to amplify the memory of people with average brain capacity, thus creating “super brains.” A drug with this description would be extremely profitable, as most people would want to have a stronger memory if they had the option. Also, the use of ampakins would help people establish LTP, long-term potentiation. Ampakines have recently been tested as a cognative booster on multiple patients suffering from, Alzheimers, ADHD, and sleep deprivation. The drug helps strengthen neurochemical pathways, thus creating a brain that can more easily recall information. However, if an ampakine is developed to be so strong that it affects the memory of an average person, there may be side effects that could come into question. If people remember and retain all the info that they ever learn or encounter, their brain may become over stimulated or “swamped with information.” Experts have also questioned the
