UK's new drug law angers Transhumanists
http://archive.is/fWpLI
TL;DR:
UK's new Psychoactive Substances Act will into force in April and it will criminalise production, supply, import, export and in some cases possession of psychoactive substance. Psychoactive substance has been defined as all substance which “by stimulating or depressing the person’s central nervous system, [affect] the person’s mental functioning or emotional state.”
Thus, it will also criminalise “smart drugs” which are used by transhumanists for claimed benefits like memory enhancement, heightened cognition, or increased focus. Transhumanist Party UK appealed to the government to exempt nootropics from the impending ban. Spokesperson Dirk Bruere said, “Whoever passed this law is scientifically illiterate.”
Most of these smart drugs are actually prescription medicines for conditions such as narcolepsy, or Alzheimer’s, that increase some mental faculties in healthy users. There have been not many longterm studies but some experts warning that while they could help increase short-term focus, they might impair brain functionality in the long term. Modafinil is the only smart drug that was deemed both safe and effective is still prescription-only and has been criticised by some commentators as a form of brain doping.
According to Duncan Shen, right now his website, nootropics.co.uk, is experiencing a spike in sales, due to people stocking up before the law comes into force. Shen also said, “A lot of people in the UK will try to buy nootropics, so the only way is going to be using darknet markets. At the moment people selling nootropics are lawful companies; after the [new law comes into force] it’ll be shady people.”
In the end, transhumanists might have to wait until public perception around smart drugs changes. Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute researcher Anders Sandberg said there is a rift between those who think that human brainpower and in general the human body are worth upgrading with whatever means available, and those who think they are not.