Magic Johnson

Johnson was ranked #5 in SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of all time in 2003. In the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the Argentine footballer Diego Armando Maradona tested positive for ephedrine in a doping control for using one dietary supplement product containing the substance. Johnson also works as an NBA studio analyst for TNT. However, as of July 2005, diet supplement manufacturers, including the very company that challenged the ephedra ban in court, are still reluctant to reintroduce ephedra into their product lines. Johnson is believed to have earned significantly more money from post-basketball ventures than from his playing days and endorsement deals. On 14 April 2005, this ban was struck down on procedural grounds by Utah federal judge Tena Campbell [2]. More recently, his interests have expanded from a shortlived 1998 talk show "The Magic Hour", to ownership of several Starbucks franchises, again primarily in urban locations. Several states have enacted their own laws regarding the sale of ephedra and ephedra-based products, some stricter than the non-statutory FDA regulation.

The chain is now a part of Loews Theatres, but is operated as a separate entity. Bulk ephedra herb (such as that used in traditional Chinese medicine) not specifically marketed for human consumption is not under the jurisdiction of the FDA and is therefore unaffected. His post-basketball business ventures include Magic Johnson Theatres, a nationwide chain of movie theaters whose complexes are primarily in urban locations. Synthetic ephedrine is still available as an ingredient in some over the counter (OTC) medications that are clearly labeled in accordance with FDA regulations. Profits from the book were donated to the Magic Johnson Foundation for the prevention, education, research and care in the battle against AIDS. On December 30, 2003, the US Food and Drug Administration announced a ban (effective from 12 April 2004) on the uncontrolled sale of supplement products containing Ephedra, citing "an unreasonable risk of illness or injury" from the use of the drug. Johnson and a team of ghostwriters produced a book which was published by Random House in 1992. Health food store GNC banned ephedra-containing products in June 2003, and the National Football League banned players from using it as a dietary supplement in 2001.

The public announcement by a prominent and popular athlete shocked the nation into awareness about the AIDS epidemic and helped put the virus into the public eye. Critics maintain, however, that there is anecdotal evidence that the use of Ephedra can cause tolerance and dependence. Outside of basketball, Johnson is probably most famous for his November 7, 1991, public announcement that he had contracted HIV and would be immediately retiring from basketball. However, many advocates of Ephedra maintain that it is safe when used as directed, and continue to regard it as a dietary supplement rather than as a drug. Assuming every assist creates 2 points, Magic created 54.85 points per 48 minutes, compared to Michael Jordan's 50.98 or Wilt Chamberlain's 40.82. According to the FDA, 155 deaths can be blamed on Ephedra, most of them related to cardiac problems and strokes. Magic is - statistically seen - probably the greatest offensive producer ever. Sympathomimetic amines such as ephedrine raise heart rate and blood pressure and can be particularly hazardous to those with pre-existing cardiac problems.

His stature, paired with his talent, allowed him to play virtually every position from center to point guard. Ephedra was found in many popular weight control products, some of which the FDA believed may be hazardous. He revolutionised the concept of the "oversized point guard", able to post up and outmuscle his much smaller opposition. As Ephedra is a herb, products containing it were marketed as dietary supplements and therefore were exempt from FDA regulation in the United States. At 6' 9", a size normally reserved for power forwards, Johnson was also easily one of the largest point guards ever to play on NBA level. Beginning in the 1990s, concerns about the safety of Ephedra and Ephedra-based products began to be publicly raised. He is widely considered to be one of the most exciting playmakers of the NBA, maybe the best of all time. Ephedrine is considered a performance-enhancing drug and is prohibited in most competitive sports.

His unselfish playmaking and dazzling no-look passes on the fast break ushered in the "Showtime" era of Laker basketball, which dominated the eighties. Ephedrine constitues 40-90% of the alkaloid content, with the remainder consisting of pseudoephedrine and the demethylated forms of each [1]. Johnson possessed stellar point guard talent. sinica, has a total alkaloid content of 1-3% by dry weight. . Some species in the Ephedra genus have zero alkaloid content and are therefore essentially inert, however the most commonly used species, E. Johnson went on to lead the Lakers to championships in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988. The alkaloids ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are the active constituents of the plant.