The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is back-pedaling now after testing an anti-smoking drug on more than 30,000 veterans that has been proven to cause depression and inspire suicidal thoughts. The department sent out a letter last week to those men and women belatedly acknowledging the possible side effects, but VA Secretary James Peake said they will continue prescribing the drug because they've seen no serious problems or trends.

Naturally, thoughts of suicide are common among anyone with PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, which afflicts a great many veterans. So maybe the veterans who've reported suicidal thoughts would have had them anyway. Still, isn't it unethical to prescribe a drug that further taxes an already fragile psyche?

At the very least, everyone deserves to know what they're putting in their bodies.

[Image Credit: U.S. Government on Wikimedia Commons]