TO THE EDITOR:
At first glance, one might easily look at the Food and Drug Administration’s banning of Lazy Larry brownies with derision and flippancy. After all, who really needs melatonin-infused brownies anyway? Plus, they could be dangerous, so the government is right to ban them. At least that’s what The Daily Tar Heel believes, as stated in its editorial on Sept. 27.
The banning, however, is wrong on two fronts. First, melatonin is a common supplement that is readily available for consumer purchase at any health and nutrition store without FDA approval or a doctor’s prescription.
Whether one wants melatonin from a pill or a brownie is up to that individual, not the government.
Second, the authority of government to force a company to stop selling its product is undemocratic and interferes with an individual’s right to livelihood.
By consumers spending their money on Lazy Larry brownies, the public has voted for the right of the cakes to remain on the market. That is fundamentally democratic because the people, not the government, are deciding if Lazy Larry cakes stay in business.
Thus, the FDA should get its hands out of the brownie business and leave it up to democracy.
Andrew Smith
Outreach Coordinator
