IN ALL THE TALK about Viagra, there is one question that hasn't been properly explored: If men use the drug "recreationally" and not to treat a medical condition (impotence), shouldn't the federal government consider putting it on its list of controlled substances?
The Federal Controlled Substances Act regulates drugs that have a "potential for abuse" and can cause physical or psychological dependence. Controlled substances that the government deems not to have any medical use, such as heroin and marijuana, are simply illegal. Controlled drugs that have an accepted medical value - including painkillers such as Tylenol with codeine, Valium and other relaxants, and anabolic steroids - are legal only when distributed or possessed under strict regulation.People who don't follow these regulations - a doctor, for example, who prescribes steroids to a body-builder solely to promote muscle gain - are subject to criminal prosecution. But a doctor who prescribes Viagra to anyone who walks through the door is not regulated under federal law.
Yes, Viagra has an accepted medical use. For men with serious impotence problems, such as those who have had prostate surgery, it may be the best way ever for them to have a "normal" sex life or father children.
But many men - both the 70-year-olds who want to regain part of their lost youth and the 25-year-olds who want to enhance their performance - are simply interested in purchasing the ability to have more sex. This nonmedical use of a substance is what the law considers abuse.
Indeed, there are striking similarities between the recreational use of Viagra and of, say, anabolic steroids and tranquilizers. It is legally considered drug abuse if a man ingests steroids simply to look virile. So why isn't it illegal to take a pill to become virile?
One might distinguish Viagra from other controlled drugs on the ground that it is safer. But the long-term health effects are unknown. One side effect is a temporary vision impairment. There are even reports of a few deaths in men using Viagra, although none of the deaths were directly related to the drug.
Will the government, then, put Viagra on its list of controlled substances, even at the low level of regulation that governs steroids? Probably not. Historically, the federal motivation for controlling drugs has been sociological rather than pharmacological.
Viagra has obvious appeal to rich and powerful men. And you can be certain that they're not going to jail.