I think that we might be getting a little away from the point by getting into the weeds with conjectures about ephedrine and other substances sold at CANEX.
Remember, one of the standard lines in every joining instruction that I have seen, and every deployment order is that troops will not self-medicate. Period. This includes aspirin, hemmorhoid cream, ephedrine, sudafed, etc. There are two reasons for this. One, if soldiers are not allowed to self-medicate, even with over-the-counter (OTC) medications we can lessen the risk of accidental overdose, as they will be getting dosage instructions from the MO/pharmacist. Also, this means that we know that they are not mixing potentially harmful substances when taken in combination (ask a nurse about the combination of Tylenol and alcohol. While it will not get you immediately, it is murder on your liver, and can become extremely serious).
Second, and far more importantly, by forbidding self-medication, we ensure that soldiers get professional attention for their injuries. How many times have you heard stories about people who thought that they just had sore muscles, and later find out that they had serious tendon or ligament injuries. Self-medication will mask the symptoms, and allow aggravation of the injury.
Finally, and most importantly, I will come back to my (far) earlier post about trust. I give orders every day at work. I do this both in garrison, and on operations. I trust that my orders will be carried out, just as my superiors trust that I will carry out their orders. My subordinates trust that I will consider their welfare properly in the execution of any orders that I receive, and that I will consider their welfare properly in any plans that I might come up with. We all trust that the person on our flank is properly trained to do his job, and is physically, mentally, and emotionally fit to carry out his duties. I trust that they will save my life if necessary, and they trust that I will do the same for them.
I do NOT trust anyone who disregards the simplest of orders with respect to drugs, whether OTC or controlled. If you are in the CF, you are not allowed to partake. Period. It is black and white. If you do, and even if I am unsuccessful in trying to make you answer for your actions to the fullest extent possible IAW CF policy, QR&O, and the Criminal Code, I no longer trust you and will not have anything to do with you if at all possible (Obviously I am using the genric "you", and not anyone specific).
Again, I don't want to get into a debate about what should and should not be allowed, nor do I wish to get into debates about what is an acceptable number of users for the CF. I agree that alcohol is just as much of a problem for the CF as are controlled substances, with the sole exception that alcohol is legal. I have seen marked changes in the acceptance of alcohol over the past twenty years, and we may eventually place it in the same boat as drugs in the CF, buit for the present time it is still legal.
The key issue is trust. We all agreed to be drug-free; these individuals decided not to be, and will face the consequences of their decisions.