Unregulated "smart drugs" known as nootropics are taking over Silicon Valley — according to alarmist headlines in the international media, at least.
A picture of Silicon Valley engineers thriving on nothing but protein powder-based meal replacements and brain-sharpening drugs likened to what the Daily Beast called "super Ritalin" is being painted on both sides of the Atlantic.
"Silicon Valley workers running on super speed nootropics, liquid food," reads a headline to a story posted Thursday in the International Business Times.
Also published Thursday was an article and slideshow by Italian daily newspaper Repubblica that says, "Le sostanze nootropiche invadono la Silicon Valley," Italian for "The nootropics invade Silicon Valley."
As the headlines get more alarmist, there is a movement toward reigning in the gray areas. Some within the nootropic e-commerce industry are actually being vocal about the need for intelligent legislation.
Nootrobox co-founders Geoffrey Woo and Michael Brandt even outlined a suggested plan for "Smart Regulation For Smart Drugs" in TechCrunch.
