SOTU on Steroids

Ted at Women’s Hoops has some additional perspective on the State of the Union steroid section and why Bush would never go after supplements.

Orrin Hatch is one of the most powerful Republican Senators and also ahuge backer of the supplement industry. Many supplement companies are based in Utah, Hatch’s home. The industry has donated over $100,000 to Hatch over the past decade. And Hatch’s son runs a lobbying firm with supplement industry clients, who have paid the firm millions.

Hatch wrote in his memoirs: “I have taken dietary supplements almost my entire adult life and can attest to the benefits they provide.” He has argued that adults should be able to decide for themselves whether to ingest these chemicals, and that government regulation shouldn’t get in the way.

Ironically, Hatch is also the leading elected official fighting the War on Drugs. Unclear why he thinks adults should be able to decide for themselves whether to ingest kava, e.g., without any government regulation, but shouldn’t be able to decide to ingest marijuana, e.g., at all.

I’ve always watched Hatch carefully. He’s smart and articulate, with no conscience, particularly in his behind the scenes work regarding the drug war and civil liberties.