Taking the dopes out of doping

 In “The needle and
the records won“ I tried to make a case that doping in sports in inevitable
and unavoidable, and that only cure is, in effect, to make it legal.

We don’t have rules in politics
or business or war in this country, why be squeamish about playing our games
that way? . . . . Sports fanatics are fond of saying that winning isn’t the
most important thing, it’s the only thing. Fine. Let athletes prove it. 

Readers interested in the issue might find persuasive this piece by Clive
Cookson, the science editor of the Financial Times. Or they might decide he’s a
deluded fool like I am. Either way, worth a read. 

This article appears in Aug 13-19, 2015.