Absinthe, as you may imagine, has a very checkered history when it comes to the law.  And it is currently even more confusing, given its long dormant history and vast supplies of misinformation.  For instance, here in the US it is illegal to sell or import any drink that contains thujone, a key ingredient in absinthe that comes from the wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) plant. Thujone is called a "known harmful" ingredient, so the FDA bans its use in food for human consumption, so you can't sell it, but you're allowed to buy, possess it and, yes, even drink it, because the FDA only goes after sellers, not buyers. 

But here's a good link with thumbnail sketches of absinthe's legality in many countries and areas around the world.  I have been reading some debate about its Canada entry, as even the officials there seem to be confused as to its real status, as opposed to its "I think..." status.

Interesting quickie list of absinthe reviews from the mostly German site Absinthe-Guide.de. A very long list of absinthes are given one of 4 ratings - recommendable (sic), neutral, not recommendable and not rated yet. I have no idea of the quality of the reviews themselves, but they do like our favorite, Nouveau-Orleans and pretty much dislike all Czech brands, so the reviews seem inline with the general consensus. Let us know what you think of their reviews.

A good place to start if you are interested in jumping on the absinthe bandwagon (besides here at In Absinthia of course), is to check out the FAQ at Oxygénée's wonderful site, The Virtual Absinthe Museum. The FAQ lists all kinds of interesting facts, figures and history behind absinthe. This history is often mistold and mischaracterized and hasn't yet, I don't think, been done justice in the printed page. But Oxygénée does an excellent job of "just the facts, ma'am", as well as keeping the hyperbole (both pro and con) down to a minimum. In particular, I like this introduction to the entry on the history of absinthe:

Banned for almost a century until its recent revival, absinthe is something of a "living fossil", a coelacanth amongst drinks, able to magically transport us back to the glittering world of Paris and the Belle Epoque, a world of bohemian musicians and writers, of the Moulin Rouge and the cafes of Montmartre, a world of starving struggling artists and glittering courtesans.