When legal drugs harm and illegal drugs help
Our biggest problem now lies in addressing addiction to prescription drugs, while therapeutic uses for illicit drugs are coming to light … This issue can no longer be caught in a web of confusing regulations.
Pioneering researchers are breaking through barriers, whether we are ready for it or not. And legislators are going to need to make decisions on these regulations sooner than they may be prepared to, starting on alignment with the FDA. Until there is both political and cultural alignment on how we approach the education of bioactive substances—what they are, what they do, and their benefits and risks—we will remain a confused and frustrated society, grasping at bits of information, or misinformation, from reliable or unreliable sources. And while many of these substances hang in the balance between legal and illegal status, we must challenge their restricted use with rigorous scientific evidence.
Original Article (Scientific American Blog):
When Legal Drugs Harm and Illegal Drugs Help
Artwork Fair Use: Joseph Rifesser
