Just as the US government reported this spring that obesity is about to overtake tobacco as the No. 1 cause of death in America, researchers announced promising results for a new drug that could help people stop smoking and stay slim. But since the government also just ignored scientific evidence about a safe and effective method of preventing unwanted pregnancy, what�s really slim is the chance that the Bush administration would approve the new drug even if the ongoing clinical trials eventually prove its worth.
Why? Because this new drug, rimonabant, works to suppress appetite and nicotine cravings by acting on the part of the body known as the endocannabinoid system, and as we know, cannabinoid comes from cannabis and cannabis spells pot and that means trouble right here in Potomac City.
�Magic bullets� are the holy grails of popular medicine, leading people to believe they can do anything they want with their bodies as long as there is a pill that can cure them of the inevitable consequences. Just look at the $20 billion a year food supplement industry for proof of our insatiable need to be satiated without harm.