http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/olivia-carter/ After conducting a series of experiments in Switzerland looking at the effects of hallucinogenic drugs on healthy volunteers during her PhD, Olivia Carter then worked for 3 years at Harvard University as Research Fellow in the Vision Sciences Laboratory. She received a Harvard University Certificate for Teaching for her contribution to Neurobiology and Neuroethics of Psychostimulant drug use in society. A Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer in Psychological Sciences at the University of Melbourne, she heads the Perception and Pharmacology Research Lab working to understand how the brain’s natural chemicals control complex behaviours, thoughts and perceptions. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-if-you-could-give-your-kids-some-really-good-drugs/ Drugs are bad! Drugs are bad for individuals and they are bad for societies. This seems to be the opinion of most, but it is very hard to get to the bottom of why so many people have this view. In the case of a street drug like heroin it is quite easy to see the high cost to an addict’s life and family, but there are countless other examples where the cost/benefit tradeoff is far more favourable. Drug use falls into three main categories: 1. Medicine 2. Enhancement, and 3. Recreation. Medicinal use of drugs is not at issue here, as society already seems to be willing to engage in honest and open discussions about the risks, benefits and side effects of drugs for medicinal purposes. Things get far trickier when it comes to the use of drugs for enhancement and recreation.  Drug companies around the world are spending billions of dollars trying to develop drugs that will reduce our need for sleep, bolster memory power and simply make us feel happier. Do we want to live in a society where such drugs are available for everyday use? feedback@thepunch.com.au (Olivia Carter) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-if-you-could-give-your-kids-some-really-good-drugs/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-if-you-could-give-your-kids-some-really-good-drugs/#item6598 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:00:23 +0000 Olivia Carter | Author bios | The Punch