Finals week is a college tradition synonymous with energy drinks, all-nighters, and stress ridden internet memes.

But more and more, a new addition to students’ finals week artillery is Adderall, a stimulant drug meant for the treatment of attention deficit disorder and narcolepsy. Depending on the dosage, the medicine allows its user to stay awake and focused on a particular task without disruption for up to sixteen hours.

Since it became widely available in the U.S. in 2001, students with and without ADD have been using the so-called “smart drug” as the ultimate...