VANCOUVER - The federal government is shirking its responsibility by allowing the sale of products containing a potentially dangerous drug that people are using to lose weight, says the medical director of Canada's largest eating disorders program.

"I think this is an important thing to take the government to task on," said Dr. Laird Birmingham of the Eating Disorders Program at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver.

"I can't believe that they wouldn't regard it as their responsibility to look into the misuse, the dangerous misuse, of an over-the-counter medication," he said.

The herb ephedra -- or ephedrine, its chemical derivative -- is the most commonly used weight-loss supplement among his patients suffering from anorexia or bulimia.

"It's addictive, just like speed," Dr. Birmingham said. "People get used to it, they may have to steal for it. It ruins their life and it also changes their behaviour."

He said ephedra, also known as ma huang, can cause strokes, seizures, hypertension, psychosis and depression.

Health Canada agrees that abuse of the drug can have dire side effects.

In January, it served notice to manufacturers and retailers to voluntarily recall all ephedrine products that don't meet federal guidelines.

The department's standards call for a single dose of no greater than eight milligrams or no more than 32 milligrams a day. Smaller amounts are permitted in a range of over-the-counter products for limited use, such as nasal decongestants and cough medicine.

Health Canada spokesman Ryan Baker said the government approves drugs for their intended purpose and cannot control how consumers use them.

But Dr. Birmingham said it is common knowledge that people are using products containing ephedra to speed their metabolism.

Once the government has approved a drug for sale, it is up to provincial pharmacists' colleges to regulate whether the dosage is too high and decide if the product should be sold in a pharmacy, with a prescription, Mr. Baker said.

"This is hogwash," Dr. Birmingham responded, insisting ephedra is a "very dangerous" drug and the onus should not be on consumers or pharmacists to curb its use.

About 80 people have died in the United States since 1994 due to problems associated with ephedra. One Canadian user died last year and there have been 60 reported cases of adverse effects linked to the drug.