"arbitrarily?
The Food and Drug administration review which drugs are safe, habit forming and which may lead to social problems."
Yes it is seemingly arbitrary...look at the side effects of prescription drugs. Just because all the "effects" side and otherwise are on the box do not make them any safer than drugs that come in baggies.
They always have to plaster any possible side effects all over the place to avoid lawsuits. You get the same thing on many over the counter stuff to also avoid lawsuits.
In most cases, the side effects of most legal drugs are minimal, but you do get the occasional person who reacts badly.
Some of the other drugs for perhaps things like Cancer are real harsh on the system and puts the body through hell, because the current way you kill a cancer is to try and kill the cancer tissue or tumor before it kills the healthy tissue and patient.
I do think companies are doing their best to reduce side effects, but some will always suffer from their own allergies to certain things.
Sometimes drugs that can save a life have the side effect of leaving the people dizzy. I think some of the drugs that deal with partially clogged arteries are like that as are some blood pressure medicines.
Comes down in some cases to dead or having some minor symptoms from using a medication.
I think in the next thirty years most side effects in medications will be greatly increased, they are getting better and better at medicine and we do live in miraculous times.
I do think there is a place for limited medical marijuana, but I think activist doctors and recreational drug users ruin it. I also have concern about all the crime these places have been attracting.