Hmmm, so people actually trying to follow the rules—instead of ignoring them—get screwed. Great way to build respect for the law!
Does this rule apply to any prescription drugs? After all, I’m sure that if I asked I would be told that this is a “safety” issue. And many prescription drugs impair their user in some way.
Not that I trust the word of the FDA any more than I do any other federal agency—on any subject. Supporters of RTKBA would be wise to approach this kind of rule with caution; anti-gun nutjobs are not above using federal agencies for their own agenda (look at what they’ve done with CDC in the past).
Obamacare will do it.
Regarding the prescription drugs, there are a great many prescription drugs that are doled out every day to Americans that are Schedule 2 or Schedule 3 controlled substances regulated by the DEA. Some of these, like narcotic painkillers, will effect you in almost exactly the same way as Schedule 1 substances like heroin or morphine, that are in the same category as marijuana. A lot of prescription drugs are definitely addictive and widely abused. Even widely used non-narcotic psychiatric drugs like Ritalin are on the schedules, addictive, and can have similar effects to drugs such as methamphetamine. So, your fears about them using this as a backdoor method of gun control sound pretty reasonable to me.
Also, besides this drug restriction, there is the long-standing restriction placed on people with psychiatric problems. Right now, I think you have to have been institutionalized or something for these restrictions to kick in, but is it crazy to think that the government will try to widen that restriction too? Am I paranoid for thinking that the boom in handing out prescription antidepressants to a swathe of the population is a really convenient event for people who would like to ban guns for people who had been just treated for mental issues or prescribed psychiatric medication?