Large double-blind trials are by far the best method anyone has yet come up with to evaluate a given drug's efficacy and potential side effects. And yes, this means some people in the trial are receiving placebo, and don't know it (not even the doctors know who is getting placebo, that's what makes the trial 'double-blind'). This is where any possible similarity ends.
If you were making a joke, my apologies, but this issue really sticks in my craw a bit. I have no fundamental problem with people selling things to buyers who know that what they are buying will fuck them up or possibly kill them, but to smile at someone you are essentially murdering for 10 bucks is beyond the pale.
