Thinktank: "Pleasure Drugs" to boom

Mind-altering drugs could be as common as coffee within a couple of decades, to boost performance at school and at work, to "unlearn" addiction, and to erase memories of distressing events such as a terrorist attack, according to a government think-tank.

...

Sir David King, the Prime Minister's chief scientific adviser, who led the think-tank, said: "We are on the verge of developments that could possibly move us into a world where we could take a drug to help us think faster, relax, sleep more efficiently or even subtly alter our mood to match that of our friends."

...

One problem raised by the report is that the pharmaceutical industry might change its focus from drugs that treat mental health to cognitive enhancers, "mental cosmetics" and treatments for addiction. "The pharmaceutical industry may not make new medicines for mental health conditions," he said.

Full Story

Foresight Report