Vitamin D3 is hardly a drug

Supplemental vitamin D3 is not a drug.  It is not a novel man-created compound but rather a compound that is formed when lanolin is exposed to ultraviolet radiation.  If it were a drug, it would regulated as such and prescribed rather than sold in supplement form.

As you surely know, climate and other considerations make it difficult for many people to get adequate amounts of vitamin D3.  Do you suggest that they simply live (or fail to live as the case may be) with their deficiencies?

For those who somehow have a phobia about vitamin D3 supplementation, besides the sun you can get Vitamin D3 from food sources:

Natural sources of vitamin D include:

• Fatty fish species, such as:
  
  • Catfish, 85 g (3 oz) provides 425 IU (5 IU/g)
  • Salmon, cooked, 100 g (3.5 oz) provides 360 IU (3.6 IU/g)
  • Mackerel, cooked, 100 g (3.5 oz), 345 IU (3.45 IU/g)
  • Sardines, canned in oil, drained, 50 g (1.75 oz), 250 IU (5 IU/g)
  • Tuna, canned in oil, 100 g (3.5 oz), 235 IU (2.35 IU/g)
  • Eel, cooked, 100 g (3.5 oz), 200 IU (2.00 IU/g)
• A whole egg, provides 20 IU (0.33 IU/g if egg weighs 60 g)
• Beef liver, cooked, 100 g (3.5 oz), provides 15 IU (0.15 IU/g)
• Fish liver oils, such as cod liver oil, 1 Tbs. (15 ml) provides 1360 IU (90.6 IU/ml)
• Mushrooms are the only vegan source of vitamin D (besides UV light or sunlight exposure).