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I sit on the Drug Policy Subcommittee of the United States Congress. I'm on the speaker's task force. This is something people would rather turn away from and not face, but in fact it is possibly the greatest threat we face.

There's a certain libertarian right-wing view that there should be no FDA, that people can decide for themselves whether medicines are safe and effective. That's nonsense. Most people don't have the expertise or the resources to mount a proper study to find out whether a treatment is safe or effective.

Most medications don't work effectively for a lot people.

And while we are on the subject of medication you always need to look at risk versus benefit.

People have the right to know the drugs they are taking will make them better instead of harming them.

I feel badly for the people who suffer from the side effects and consequences of hazardous pharmaceuticals. It's antithetical to the Hippocratic oath.

I've used drugs that I do consider to be dangerous, drugs that are potentially detrimental to kids and society at large.

Antidepressants can have troubling side effects and are addictive for some people.

Any doctor will admit that any drug can have side effects, and that writing a prescription involves weighing the potential benefits against the risks.