Who Says What is a Drug?
An analysis of the meaning of the word "drug" and the problems associated with applying this definition in practice – essential criteria for any rational approach to the whole drugs debate.
Clearly, of course, what actual amount in practice constitutes ‘a little’ (and thus might be beneficial) and what amount ‘a lot’ (and thus possibly detrimental, or even just performance-enhancing) will vary enormously – between substances and between individuals, and for the same substance or the same individual at different times and under a wide range of different circumstances – but the general principle holds firm. As just one common example, for instance, I suspect that we are all aware of the truth of this proposition with regards to alcohol consumption.
What and what not to ban and/or regulate
The conclusion then here, both for the more restricted sporting fraternity and for the broader community at large, is clear and simple. If you want to prohibit or regulate the use of certain substances, in whatever circumstances, then you cannot just proscribe the whole gamut of “drugs”. One must list, by their accepted scientific name, every specific compound and/or specific class of compound that is to be designated as a “prohibited” or “regulated” substance. No doubt the term “drug” will remain forever firmly embedded in the popular lexicon as a sort of generalized shorthand, as in ‘the war on drugs’ for instance, but it has no future in any precise laws, rules, regulations, guidelines, whatever. And indeed it’s use can be quite confusing in any public debate or discourse over these issues.
One should perhaps also add here, however, that even then the message for sport’s controlling bodies is unfortunately not entirely so clear and simple. The relevant chemical question now becomes yet more complex. Should a potentially-, or even actually-, beneficial substance (beneficial in general health terms, for instance) be banned completely, in all circumstances, just because for some competitors in some circumstances and at some dosage it is likely to provide an “unfair” advantage? Or even be addictive? Not an easy question, I do admit, but one that must be faced.
And the take-home message from all of this? Yes, we undoubtedly have problems, major problems, stemming from the consumption of drugs in most societies today, but before we can approach any rational debate as to what to do about this problem we need first to agree as to precisely what it is we are discussing. What do we all mean by a “drug”?
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