Dirty Politics / Don't Let Congress Restrict Vitamin, Mineral, Herbal & Other Supplements

submitted by Dr. Gary Farr Last Updated August, 8, 2003

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Don't Let Congress Restrict Vitamin, Mineral, Herbal & Other Supplements

It has already happened in Europe- Don't let it happen here. I can not stress the importance and gravity of this issue enough- please spread this information far and wide...

Be Well, Misty L. Trepke
http://www.searching-alternatives.com

DON'T LET CONGRESS OVERTURN THE HARD-FOUGHT VICTORY OF THE DIETARY SUPPLEMENT HEALTH AND EDUCATION ACT OF 1994

A new bill called the "Dietary Supplement Safety" Act (S.722) has been introduced in the U.S. Senate. This bill, introduced by IL Senator Dick Durbin, would significantly undermine many of the freedoms that American consumers of dietary supplements hold dear.

It would give the FDA broad sweeping regulatory power, require adverse event reporting, and would authorize the FDA to prevent the sale of any supplement for which an adverse event was reported. Burden of proof of safety would be on the Dietary Supplement industry, which would effectively overturn DSHEA.

Durbin is misinforming his colleagues in the Senate by claiming that dietary supplements are dangerous and the FDA does not currently have adequate regulatory authority. Both allegations are false!

Durbin has become our chief antagonist and was instrumental in getting ephedra banned in Illinois. Senator Orrin Hatch has said that Durbin is a slick political operative who may try to attach this legislation to another bill to sneak it through passage in the Senate and the House. So we could be at the greatest stage of regulatory crisis since 1994 (pre-DSHEA ).

OPPOSE THIS LEGISLATION!

The Food and Drug Administration must not be granted new and unprecedented authority to subject safe and beneficial products to additional and unnecessary scrutiny. This bill would subject nearly all vitamins, minerals, herbal products and other supplements to a level of scrutiny that is both unwarranted and unnecessary. Products that have been used safely for hundreds - and in some cases, thousands - of years would be subject to clinical evaluation using standards that are at the complete discretion of the FDA.

The government must not be allowed to limit the freedom of choice of American consumers when it comes to their health. By questioning the safety of any dietary supplement that receives even one complaint, hundreds of products that have been safely and beneficially used could be removed from the marketplace. Under this new legislation, the FDA has complete discretion to make this determination, regardless of whether the product was used under conditions cautioned against by the manufacturer on the label.

The government must not be allowed to single-out dietary supplements. By almost every measure, and by a wide margin, dietary supplements can be used more safely than conventional foods and OTC drugs. Yet this legislation exempts foods in these product categories from being classified as stimulants. Specifically, the bill unfairly excludes the most common "stimulant" ingredient in foods - caffeine.

TAKE ACTION NOW! THIS BILL COULD BE VOTED ON IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.

This bill could be added to existing Senate legislation at any time. We need you to take two vital steps to immediately let your Senators know you oppose this bill.

CALL YOUR SENATORS

Call your Senators now. To reach your Senators' offices, call them either through the Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or directly at their Washington, D.C. or local offices. To find contact information for your elected officials, simply click on this link: http://capwiz.com/nnfa/dbq/officials

When you reach your Senator's office, ask to speak with the staff member in charge of health-related issues and give them this simple message:

As your constituent, I urge you to oppose any efforts by your fellow Senators to pass S. 722, the so-called Dietary Supplement "Safety" Act, recently introduced by Senator Richard Durbin. I am deeply concerned that rather than passing this new act - which would unnecessarily expand the authority of the Food and Drug Administration - Congress should instead investigate and oversee ways in which the Food and Drug Administration can make full use of its current and more-than-adequate authority as granted by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994.

E-MAIL YOUR SENATORS

E-mail your Senators now. Simply enter your ZIP code in the "Take Action Now" button on this webpage:

Click here to locate your senators and representatives, make any changes you feel necessary to the sample letter, and click "submit." A copy of your letter will be sent to the two U.S. Senators from your state. A copy of the letter will also be sent to you confirming which Senators received the letter.

Don't delay - this bill has the potential to radically amend one of this country's most important and beneficial laws, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994.

To view S.722 in its entirety, : click here