this is your war on drugs

[yukoncpa]

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I've said before that I'm in favor of legalizing all drugs. Regarding medicinal drugs, I would keep the FDA, but make its role advisory. Unapproved drugs would be use at your own risk. Those with a significant abuse potential would be handled like liquor, sold by licensed stores similar to liquor stores. Over-the-counter drugs would be handled pretty much as they are now. Prescription drugs would be labeled as such, but you would be able to buy them, with the proviso that you assume the risk of doing so. If you die or get ill through use of a prescription drug (or an unapproved drug) that you use without prescription, you (or your spouse or relatives if you die) don't have any right to sue the manufacturer or the pharmacy that sold you the drugs. Same if you mis-diagnose yourself and take the wrong medication. Insurance companies could choose not to pay for the use of unprescribed prescription drugs or unapproved drugs -- their choice.

We already have an unregulated medicinal market -- herbals and supplements. Most of these are crap, but some work (I find zinc lozenges very helpful in reducing the severity of colds).



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CoRed

Under your plan, there would be absolutely no need for an FDA, even if only in an advisory role. If the FDA were dissolved tomorrow, dozens of for-profit drug testing organizations would pop up, simply because there would be a huge demand, not only among end consumers, but among insurers. Some of these organizations would be better then others, so insurers could provide their customers with a list of respected drug testing organizations making it clear that if you buy X medication, that has been approved by Y testing company and that has been prescribed by a doctor, then we will insure it. Even if this confused customers, Doctors would be well aware of the new rules, and would steer customers in the right direction.

In order for a new drug to gain approval status by the FDA, a drug company must pay on average a billion dollars to go through all the testing hoops. Insurers could put pressure on private drug testing companies to provide good information as to which drugs are relatively safe and at the same time, keep ridiculous costs down.

Also, the herbal market isn’t completely unregulated, ask anyone who swore by androstenedione.