The recent ruling against the FDA on ephedra should set a clear precedent. They rejected the argument that ephedra was “inherently harmful”. That precedent should be the death knell for the War on Drugs – a social policy that also has no scientific basis.

            Ephedra is used almost exclusively for weight loss. Those who use it in conjunction with fitness and diet as a secondary and temporary tool don’t have problems with ephedra. Those who want a quick fix to improve peer approval and economic status are the ones who abuse this drug. Workaholism and peer approval, in that order are the leading causes of drug dependency problems.  Over a third of meth users rely on it as an emergency [that never seems to go away] measure to give them more time to balance work, family, school and social demands – at the expense of their health. Doctors don’t give prescriptions to enable this type of self-abuse.

Unfortunately, promotion of the “Protestant work ethic on steroids” and social anxieties are major mainstays of our economy.  We don’t teach resistance techniques to our kids for Wall Street ads in any media designated “drug education” materials. The much-maligned heroin, minus the syringes and at 20% potency, is a more effective pain reliever with far fewer complications than nearly all major OTC pain relievers. The ephedra ruling should clear the way for better choices for consumers and less wasted money for taxpayers by scrapping the War on Drugs. Honesty is not “judicial activism”.

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