Ethics and Legality
The ethics surrounding the use of performance enhancing drugs, both at the academic and athletic level, have been debated for many years. Currently, the most common belief is that performance enhancement is immoral in competitions and should be considered cheating. According to the research of Bennett Foddy and Julian Savulescu’s, “this dogma is predicated mainly on the view that performance enhancement violates this ‘humanistic’ conception of what sport should be,”[1] and this viewpoint remains true for academics as well. However, this research also mentions that the use of these drugs is “inevitable and unpoliceable”[2] because the current policy against doping has proved to be expensive and difficult to control, and could possibly become impossible to manage in the near future. Furthermore, it is extremely difficult to even estimate the amount of illegal performance enhancement that occurs at the elite level. Only ten to fifteen percent of competitive athletes are tested, because “testing costs WADA alone over $20 million.”[3] Regarding academic performance-enhancing drugs like Adderall, problems arise because doctors are unable to prevent the illegal re-selling of these drugs to people to whom they aren't prescribed. Therefore, doctors are inadvertently facilitating the abuse of legitimate drugs for non-medical purposes.
To try and combat this problem, the world Anti-Doping Agency has come up with criteria that dictates which drugs are banned in international athletics. For example, a drug must fit certain qualifications to be considered a legitimate use, or else it will be banned. Drugs that fall into these categories will be banned: “First, it must have the potential to increase sporting performance. Second, it must represent an actual or potential risk to the athlete’s health, and third, its use must be contrary to the ‘spirit of sport’, which they define in the same document.”[4] Therefore, things like caffeine and nicotine do not disobey this code despite the fact that they can greatly increase performance level. This is yet another reason why the use of performance enhancing drugs is so difficult to prevent and regulate.
[1] Foddy, Bennett, and Julian Savulescu. "Ethics of Performance Enhancement in Sport: Drugs and Gene Doping." Principles of Health Care Ethics 2 (2007): n. pag. Print.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
To try and combat this problem, the world Anti-Doping Agency has come up with criteria that dictates which drugs are banned in international athletics. For example, a drug must fit certain qualifications to be considered a legitimate use, or else it will be banned. Drugs that fall into these categories will be banned: “First, it must have the potential to increase sporting performance. Second, it must represent an actual or potential risk to the athlete’s health, and third, its use must be contrary to the ‘spirit of sport’, which they define in the same document.”[4] Therefore, things like caffeine and nicotine do not disobey this code despite the fact that they can greatly increase performance level. This is yet another reason why the use of performance enhancing drugs is so difficult to prevent and regulate.
[1] Foddy, Bennett, and Julian Savulescu. "Ethics of Performance Enhancement in Sport: Drugs and Gene Doping." Principles of Health Care Ethics 2 (2007): n. pag. Print.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
Another ethical issue that arises when discussing performance enhancing drug use is the difference between sports doping and academic doping. Some people claim that these are precisely the same issue, while others believe they are completely different issues. According to a survey of Penn State students, “it is more unethical to use steroids to boost athletic performance than it is to take prescription stimulants to get better grades.”[5] This is interesting because it could be assumed that students feel more pressure in the classroom rather than on the field, but this clearly wasn’t the case in this study. The reasoning lies in this statement: “Sport is a zero-sum game: that is, the winner’s success necessitates everyone else’s failure. Academic performance, on the other hand, is non-zero-sum; my good grades don’t preclude your success, at least not as directly.”[6] Even though academics are more likely to have a greater impact on a student in the future, sports performance has a direct impact on immediate success or failure. Therefore more students are likely to consider sports doping "wrong" since the results are immediately seen. Out of the students surveyed, 8% admitted to the use of performance enhancing drugs for academics, and only 1% admitted to use them for sports. Therefore, because academic doping is so widely prominent among students, it is more common for students to have the belief that sports doping is worse than academic doping.
[5] Szalavitz, Maia, and Maia Szalavitz. "Performance-Enhancing Drugs O.K. in School, but Not in Sports, Students Say." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/09/performance-enhancing-drugs-o-k-in-school-but-not-in-sports-students-say/>.
[6] Ibid.
[5] Szalavitz, Maia, and Maia Szalavitz. "Performance-Enhancing Drugs O.K. in School, but Not in Sports, Students Say." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/09/performance-enhancing-drugs-o-k-in-school-but-not-in-sports-students-say/>.
[6] Ibid.
When considering the use of performance enhancing drugs for academic purposes, ethical issues are significant and must be carefully considered. The obvious moral dilemma is whether or not drugs should be given to those in the pursuit of academic success even when the long term effects of these drugs is unknown.[7] While the short term effects of drugs like Adderall are positive and do indeed serve their function of increased alertness, the long term effects are unknown since these drugs are so recently developed. The second ethical dispute is the question of who should be allowed to take these performance enhancing drugs. If someone who is tested and considered to be “disadvantaged” can take a performance enhancing drug in an attempt to standardize intelligence, why can't someone who is already considered “gifted” simply take it to enhance their ability? The cycle is never-ending, and eventually if everyone is taking these drugs then the discrepancy between the “disadvantaged” and the “gifted” will remain the same.
Performance enhancing drugs may seem like the easy and magical way to get what you want, whether that’s an A on the final exam or the gold medal at the Olympics. While this may seem true, in reality the price that one must pay is very high. In addition to the toll that these performance-enhancing drugs take on ones health, there is also a stigma that surrounds them. Getting an A on a test by using Adderall to study all night, compared to getting an A without taking a drug, holds a much heavier weight in most peoples eyes. There is a large amount of controversy that surrounds these issues and ultimately the decision is one that the individual scholar or athlete must make. Is the price of winning, of getting an A, really worth it?
[7] Ibid.
Performance enhancing drugs may seem like the easy and magical way to get what you want, whether that’s an A on the final exam or the gold medal at the Olympics. While this may seem true, in reality the price that one must pay is very high. In addition to the toll that these performance-enhancing drugs take on ones health, there is also a stigma that surrounds them. Getting an A on a test by using Adderall to study all night, compared to getting an A without taking a drug, holds a much heavier weight in most peoples eyes. There is a large amount of controversy that surrounds these issues and ultimately the decision is one that the individual scholar or athlete must make. Is the price of winning, of getting an A, really worth it?
[7] Ibid.
Critical Thinking Questions:
1. What is your stance on the difference between academic doping and sports doping? Do you think they are the same issue, or is one worse than the
other? Why?
2. What would you suggest doing to decrease the number of sales of illegal performance-enhancing drugs?
3. Do you agree that caffeine shouldn't be considered an illegal performance enhancing drug even though it can increase performance? Explain your
reasoning.
other? Why?
2. What would you suggest doing to decrease the number of sales of illegal performance-enhancing drugs?
3. Do you agree that caffeine shouldn't be considered an illegal performance enhancing drug even though it can increase performance? Explain your
reasoning.
Sources:
Foddy, Bennett, and Julian Savulescu. "Ethics of Performance Enhancement in Sport: Drugs and Gene Doping." Principles of Health Care Ethics 2 (2007): n. pag. Print.
"Science Blogs." Adventures in Ethics and Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://scienceblogs.com/ethicsandscience/2007/12/19/the-ethics-of-performance-enha/>.
Szalavitz, Maia, and Maia Szalavitz. "Performance-Enhancing Drugs O.K. in School, but Not in Sports, Students Say." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/09/performance-enhancing-drugs-o-k-in-school-but-not-in-sports-students-say/>.
"Science Blogs." Adventures in Ethics and Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://scienceblogs.com/ethicsandscience/2007/12/19/the-ethics-of-performance-enha/>.
Szalavitz, Maia, and Maia Szalavitz. "Performance-Enhancing Drugs O.K. in School, but Not in Sports, Students Say." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/09/performance-enhancing-drugs-o-k-in-school-but-not-in-sports-students-say/>.