There is some merit to the ban in the sense that the FDA doesn't regulate natural supplementation, and so there aren't really any safeguards in place to protect people (who are prone to overdoing it when it comes to good results) from themselves.
On the flipside, yeah, the greater good. It's super effective, generally safe, and there's money in it for retailers. They hurt the consumers and the industry - at a time when people are getting fatter and fatter.
P.S., not all the other products are mainly caffeine. One of those most common ingredients among thermogenic products (like Xenadrine, Tight, etc.) is bitter orange extract. Some use a combination. Herbalean, on the other hand, uses a patented herbal blend - and is quite different. So if the caffeine/bitter orange doesn't work for you, that might be something worth looking into.