The employment of various substances drawn from three different kingdoms of Nature, to invigorate consumed, tired bodies has its origins in the most remote ages. As sport professionalism spreads, doping in sports developes in a gradual and progressive manner: it becomes a sequence of more or less illegal (or outlawed) practices aimed at increasing physical resistance and reaction speed, as well as to lessen the emotional effects of competition. These practices, which often are at dubious efficacy, are associated with the risk of collateral effects, some of which may be lethal. This complex problem, which at times deals with questions of an ethical, medical-legal and social nature, demands an urgent and informed adjustment (or modification) of the current laws that deal with this matter.