Dope providing brains (12)
I believe the answer is:
intelligence
This clue is a double definition.
'dope' is the first definition.
(I've seen this before)
'brains' is the second definition.
(thesaurus)
'providing' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for intelligence that I've seen before include "Dope" , "Covert information" , "Military information" , "Covertly gathered information" , "Mind; news" .)