A North Korean shooter earns the honor of losing his medals after testing positive for propranolol. If not for the faked theatrics, the draconian security, the separatist violence, murder, and the whitewash, the doping issue highlights why the Olympics is a senseless institution.

But, what does propranolol do?

Propranolol is a beta blocker, so it blocks the action of adrenaline. Adrenaline is implicated in a number of effects on the body -- high blood pressure and a fast heartbeat, for example -- so by blocking it, propranolol lowers blood pressure, and heart rate. Doctors often use it to treat patients with high blood pressure, and with heart disease, to keep the heart rate in a reasonable range and not tax the heart muscle, or have it use too much energy.

It’s also used to treat other conditions that are mediated by high adrenaline levels, such as tremor and performance anxiety. Beta blockers don’t lower the anxiety level, but they lower manifestations of the anxiety, such as fast heart rate, sweating, and tremor.

Does anyone else have visions of what an army high on propranolol might do?

Of all the countries we didn't think would need to use PEDs to achieve excellence in shooting, North Korea would have to be at the top of the list. An estimated fifty percent of the state budget goes to defense, their military is ginormous, and judging from their propaganda posters, someone in the DPRK spends a lot of time training to shoot people. Namely you, American imperialist scum.

With 4,500 tests underway, more positives and more punishment could make scandal routine.