On Thu, 14 Mar 1996, Timothy C. May wrote:
Mexico has no FDA. A trip to the pharmacies of Tijuana is instructive. A friend of mine was just here. On a business trip to SF and LA, he drove all the way down to TJ to buy a "personal supply" of a nootropic drug for his mildly-retarded son, a drug the FDA has not approved but which Mexicans and Europeans have been buying for years. U.S. Customs, aware of such tragedies, waves people through who are carrying "personal supplies" of (non-narcotic) drugs.
The reason FDA has not approved this drug is most probably because it does not make mildly retarded boys less retarded. But of course, it's not up to the state to protect people from wasting their money on snake oil. It becomes more difficult to uphold a pure market philosophy when it comes to poisonous snake oil or, as is often the case with potent drugs, effective oil but which will kill you from side effects after a delay. FDA has a very good reputation of not 'recommending' drugs with (delayed) adverse effects outweighing the beneficial ones. But what the hell, let the pharmaceutical companies build up their own reputation. And let anyone call himself a medical doctor (of School Medicine, Naprapathy, Healing, Zone Therapy, Quackery or whatever). Most diseased persons will then carefully check the mag strips on the gallipots with their pocket readers for the secret key signatures of Abbot or Parke-Davis, and PDA-check the signatures of Stanford or Harvard University on the doctors's digital diplomas (which will include some physical descriptions) for authenticity. As usual, lots of coming opportunities for reputation agencies and authentication services. Until this happens, trust FDA. Asgaard