CODEX Archives

"When I feel the heat, I see the light." Sen. Dirksen

I just checked an excellent website that provides information on Congressional bills, their status, text, etc. SR 722 has been referred to a committee and has not become law, YET.

USA Law Proposed to Restrict Supplements

US Law vs Supplements

All Americans may lose their access to nutritional supplements.

There is a bill in the Senate right now, the so-called "Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2003 (S. 722)" that will give one person in the FDA absolute power to decide which food supplements you may or may not use.

Do you think this is right? The FDA has a history of hostility to vitamins. The bill will give them total control over both the availability and dosage of all supplements, including vitamins. The Secretary of the FDA will have the personal power to make safety determinations for supplements based on just a single "adverse report" about a supplement, a report that does not even have to be proven to even be caused by the supplement!

You may find this hard to believe, so at the very bottom of this page you will find the proposed bill in its entirety. But first, I have highlighted the worst passages, which YOU should highlight when you write to your US Senator. Please write today! You can get your senator's addresses right at http://www.congress.org (or http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home). For writing hints and a letter you can use, read on.

SUPPLEMENT RESTRICTION: AMERICA IS THE NEXT TARGET

Make no mistake about it: there is a movement afoot to take away your access to vitamin supplements in the USA, as in Europe. If passed, Senate bill S. 722, the so-called "Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2003" will insure that this happens.

For example, this proposed law contains the following words:

`SEC. 416. ADVERSE EXPERIENCES WITH DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS. (a) DEFINITIONS

"(1) ADVERSE DIETARY SUPPLEMENT EXPERIENCE-

The term `adverse dietary supplement experience' means an

adverse event that is associated with the use of a dietary supplement in a human, without regard to whether the event is known to be causally related to the dietary supplement."

Think about that and re-read it. This is federal legislation based on hear-say. Do you think that is a good idea?

How about this section:

`(d) SAFETY REVIEW FOR POSSIBLY DANGEROUS DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS

`(1) IN GENERAL- If a clinical evaluation by the Secretary (of the FDA) of 1 or more serious adverse events indicates that a dietary supplement or a dietary ingredient contained in a dietary supplement appears to present a significant or unreasonable risk of illness, the Secretary may require the manufacturers of the dietary supplement, or of a dietary ingredient contained in a dietary supplement, to submit to the Secretary data demonstrating that the dietary supplement containing the dietary ingredient is safe.

`(2) APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL OF CONTINUED MARKETING- As soon as practicable after receiving data required under paragraph

(1), the Secretary shall review the data and issue a determination that--

`(A)(i) the dietary supplement is safe; and

`(ii) the continued marketing of the dietary supplement is approved; or

`(B)(i) the dietary supplement is not safe or has not been shown to be safe under ordinary or frequent conditions of use; and

`(ii) the continued marketing of the dietary supplement is disapproved.'.

THIS WORDING GIVES THE SECRETARY OF THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION ABSOLUTE POWER TO REGULATE EVERY SINGLE SUPPLEMENT.

Do you think that is right?

(To read the rest of this proposed law, scroll down to the bottom of this page.)

http://www.greatestherbsonearth.com/nsparticles/ama_dshea.htm contains a good commentary article on S. 722, with a ready-to-print-and-use form letter provided at http://www.greatestherbsonearth.com/nsparticles/s722_letter.htm so you can write to your senator immediately. (I have no financial connection with this website, and make no recommendation or endorsement of its products or other commercial content.)

You can send your comments electronically, by email, for free, at http://www.congress.org. I just cut-and-pasted the form letter into a plain text format ("Notepad") and then edited it a bit. You can, too, or if you prefer you can just use my letter, below, which I have already to both my U.S. Senators.

Here it is:

Dear Senator:

I respectfully urge you to do all in your power to kill S-722 (the "Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2003," introduced March 26th, 2003 by Senator Richard J. Durbin (D-IL). The bill's intent is to overturn the main provisions of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).

I think S-722 and its congressional backers will be very unpopular with the American people. I can say this because more citizen letters were sent to Congress in 1992-1994 in support of DSHEA than over any other issue in American history. If you have a hand in overturning the freedoms that DSHEA provides, voters will strongly disapprove.

DSHEA was enacted after years of debate in Congress. During the process, it became very clear that there was overwhelming public support for ensuring free access to dietary supplements.

S-722 would give the FDA the potential power to remove thousands of herbs and other dietary supplements from the marketplace, as it has tried to do many times already, literally for decades. S-722 would give FDA complete discretion to make such a determination. That is wrong. It was the will of the people and of Congress, as stated in DSHEA, that supplement availability in America is not to be regulated or restricted.

S-722 would require premarket approval for caffeine in herbs and dietary supplements but would specifically exempt manufacturers of drugs and foods like coffee, tea, and soft drinks from that requirement. Do you really think that is right?

You are almost certainly most concerned with the safety of your constituents, but you may not be aware of this: There is not even one death per year from vitamins. S. 722 gives FDA power to control access to vitamins, and not just other, more questionable products. And as for unsafe products, you should be fully aware that DSHEA already provides FDA with very ample authority to remove any dangerous product at any time. FDA has always had this authority. They still have it. S. 722 is essentially a power grab that undermines DSHEA and the rights of your constituents.

Please oppose S. 722, and please write back to me on this subject.

Respectfully yours,

Andrew W. Saul

My Senator's office tells me that we can check and see to what extent this bill is making progress at http://thomas.loc.gov

There is more information, and important links, concerning attempts to restrict access to vitamin supplements at

http://www.doctoryourself.com/news/v3n21.txt and

http://www.doctoryourself.com/supplement_limit.html.

Abram Hoffer, M.D., offers this comment on Europe's recently approved, continent-wide ban on consumer access to vitamin supplements:

"Your recent newsletter http://www.doctoryourself.com/news/v3n21.txt)proves very clearly that modern medicine is not scientific, that it is full of prejudice, illogic and susceptible to advertising. Doctors are not taught to reason. They are programmed to believe in whatever their medical schools teach them and the leading doctors tell them. And over the past 20 years the drug companies with their enormous wealth have taken medicine over and now control its research, what is taught and the information released to the public. Very important information in your newsletter. If the European Union has its way, all consumer access to nutrients throughout Europe will be prohibited, while the massive drug companies will still be permitted to experiment all they like with their dangerous potions."

Please write to both your Senators today. And how about sending a letter to your local newspaper? My easy how-to hints to help you are at

http://www.doctoryourself.com/write_now.html

"When I feel the heat, I see the light." (Senator Everett Dirksen)

WRITE TO OPPOSE S. 722 (AND SUPPORT S. 1538 INSTEAD!)
Senators Tom Harkin and Orrin Hatch have introduced an excellent alternative to the draconian S. 722, a bill that would give the Secretary of the FDA absolute power to personally decide which supplements will or will not be available to you. (Details on this are at http://www.doctoryourself.com/news/Extra%20092603.txt)

The alternative, far better bill is the "DSHEA Full Implementation and Enforcement Act of 2003 (S. 1538)." This bill will help the Food and Drug Administration enforce the current and fully adequate safety law, the "Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994" (DSHEA).

From the letters page at http://www.congress.org:

"Even though the two most recent FDA commissioners have said that they (already) have the power to ensure dietary supplements are safe for American consumers, the agency has also expressed concern that it doesn't have enough funding to enforce the current law. S. 1538 will provide funding that is consistent with FDA's needs and will also require the agency to file annual reports to Congress about how DSHEA is being implemented and enforced."

We should support Senators Harkin and Hatch in their efforts to pass this bill. Please write to both your U.S. Senators and ask them to oppose S. 722, and instead co-sponsor S. 1538.

This is serious. If we do not act now, we can expect to lose our access to nutrition supplements just as has already happened in Europe. (http://www.doctoryourself.com/news/v3n21.txt)

It can happen here. Don't let it! Get your Senators' addresses, and write to them both today. Their addresses are easy to find at http://www.congress.org (or http://congress.org/congressorg/home). You can send an email letter to them directly from that website, but remember this: A HANDWRITTEN, PLAIN-OLD U.S. POSTAL SERVICE 37-CENT LETTER **ALWAYS** HAS MORE IMPACT. When you write, be sure to ask for a response from your senators. . . and please share those responses with me at drsaul@doctoryourself.com, would you?

Re: "When I feel the heat, I see the light." Sen. Dirksen

Re: "When I feel the heat, I see the light." Sen. Dirksen

Re: "When I feel the heat, I see the light." Sen. Dirksen (Archive in CODEX.)

I'm surprised at all the apathy on this board, of all places!

Re: "When I feel the heat, I see the light." Sen. Dirksen

Re: I'm surprised at all the apathy on this board, of all places!

Re: I'm surprised at all the apathy on this board, of all places!

Re: I'm surprised at all the apathy on this board, of all places!