I guess the rule is that it's OK to drug children with benadryl for takeoff if you're an airline, but a criminal offense to use the same drug on them at naptime if you're running a day care center. (Actually, there is a certain logic to this, because it is undeniable that flight attendants have a more compelling interest in quiet children than do day care workers.)

Then there's Ritalin. It's OK for schools to drug children to make them pay attention in class, so that they'll perform better in school. But it's not OK to drug athletes to enhance their performance in sports. And God forbid that musicians might try improving their musical performance with drugs.

Somewhere in all of this, there's an exception for drugging under a "performance enhancement theory" -- but it is not being applied consistently.

Then there's medication for pain. For physical pain, it's OK to drug people -- even at the risk of making them feel good. For mental pain, though, while there might be certain allowable drugs, if a drug used to treat emotional pain makes people feel good, its bad.

I'm thinking about the manufacture of morality again. It's always tough to keep abreast of these constantly changing standards.

MORE: The bottom line seems to be that where it comes to drugs, all adults are children.

Except the authorities (and the "experts")!