There's been a lot of talk lately about advertisements for prescription drugs, and whether or not they do more harm than good. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who is himself a doctor, wants a two year moratorium on all drug ads. However, Charles Stein, writing for the Boston Globe, disagrees. He writes: "But here is my biggest objection to banning drug ads: The call for a ban assumes that Americans are weak-minded and gullible -- practically impotent in the face of slick and seductive advertising." I'm not going to argue Stein's critique per se, but I think he misses the point that when it comes to a product which the average citizen knows next to nothing about, one tends to accept what they're told, even if it is a commercial. The option of going to years of medical school to learn all you can about a drug and its physiological effects just isn't there for most people. People need to make informed decisions, but slick advertising or not, there's only so much you can know.