Legal vs. Illegal Drugs

Today's New York Times has an article that looks at how DHEA, a steriod-like supplement, avoided being placed on the federal list of banned substances. The really interesting aspect of the piece is that it focuses on how the decision to not place DHEA on the list while banning other similar drugs was essentially (or completely) a political decision, rather than one based on science. Which doesn't surprise me at all, but serves as a great reminder that nothing done by the federal government with respect the control of our own bodies is necessarily looking out for our best interests. To me, the awful thing isn't that DHEA is legal (I could really care less, and therefore think that individuals should be able to decide for themselves if they want to take it) - it's that a bunch of other drugs that are potentially very useful (of just plain fun) ARE illegal.