Stop Supplement Restrictions in NYState

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A series of bills have been introduced in the New York State legislature to

regulate Dietary Supplements. The bills were introduced by Assemblyman Felix

Ortiz of Sunset Park in Brooklyn and and Senator Kenneth Lavelle of Long

Island including Riverhead and the Hamptons. If any of you live in their

district

and want to set up a meeting with the legislator to present the information

I have on this issue please contact me.

arnold

 

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

Assemblymember _________________

Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12248

Dear Assemblymember_________________:

I am writing to oppose the bills to regulate dietary supplements A.3944,

A.3357, A.4014 and A.2068. The bills indicate that the Assembly has been given

some partial and misleading information about the possible dangers of those

supplements. A.3944 is completely redundant and exactly duplicates existing

federal regulations requiring labeling of all supplements with the statement

that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved the claim.

A.3357 authorizes appointment of a Committee on Dietary Supplements to

suggest how to regulate them on the State level. Since they are already

regulated

by the FDA, it is redundant and maybe unconstitutional. This is a legal

matter, but does not address the concern with safety. T he record of

Dietary Supplements is very good as reported by the American Association of

Poison

Control Centers, _www.aapcc.org_ (http://www.aapcc.org/) Their annual

report of instances of poisonings reported to them has shown extremely low

numbers

associated with dietary supplements. For 2005, the last year on their

website, the report shows a total of deaths loosely associated with all dietary

supplements to be 27. Of these 4 were recorded for Potassium, 2 for Magnesium

and 2 for Sodium, all of which are used to treat heart disease. According to

the National Center for Health Statistics, heart disease was responsible for

654,000 deaths in 2004. Not everyone treated can be saved. Melatonin, a

hormone connected to sleep was associated with 4 cases; this was its first

appearance on the reports since 2001. All the other cases are single instances;

widely scattered indicating that it is very likely a statistical error that has

no significance for health policy. This same pattern of low single digit

numbers is reported every year. These very low Poison Control statistics

compare

favorably to the 106,000 deaths from adverse reactions to prescription drugs

reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association of April 15,1998;

295(5):1200-1205.These were not overdoses or medical errors, but drugs

properly prescribed and taken as directed. Unfortunately, prescription drugs

have

not gotten any safer. In the New England Journal of Medicine of April 12,

2003; 348:1556-64, Harvard related hospitals and researchers reported 25% of

outpatients had adverse drug reactions and of these 13% were considered

serious.

Very often the reason patients use dietary supplements is because they are

aware of the dangers of prescription drugs. Supplements are now much cheaper

than prescription drugs, but these regulations may drive out some smaller

innovative manufacturers and raise prices like it has in Europe.

Sincerely,

_____________

Print your name

Below is an email from Citizens for Health on the Issue

 

Dear Mr./Ms. Demas:

There are two unnecessary and dangerous bills pending in the New York State

legislature that would result in higher costs and lower availability for

dietary supplements. Both of these bills are perilously close to a vote, and

your

help is needed now to stop them.

S938: Because dietary supplements are already well-regulated by the federal

government, Senate Bill 938 would at best duplicate federal law and at worst,

needlessly burden businesses in the state by creating an unwarranted double

standard. New York residents like you will bear the financial brunt of this

bill: first through your tax dollars to establish the redundant regulatory

system and then at the cash register as the higher cost of doing business in

New

York is passed on to you.

S1607: Equally misguided and redundant, Senate Bill 1670 would create a

mini-FDA in NY State and create an entire bureaucracy of regulation for dietary

supplements solely in New York.

Tell your State Senator to oppose bills S938 and S1670, which unfairly

targets dietary supplements.

 

 

 

 

(http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2 & c=sGd65hDdTENa7xxS5Otcdupu5M\

lB+zw7)

 

 

 

There's no time to lose - click above to take action now!

 

Citizens for Health joins with the National Nutritional Foods

Association-East in strongly opposing this bill, and urge you to do the same.

There is a

good chance these bills could come to a vote quickly so time is of the essence

- when you FAX and/or e-mail your comments to your state senator, be sure to

fill in the " tell-a-friend " page and forward this alert to anyone you know in

New York who doesn't want their tax dollars squandered on legislation that

us bad for consumers, the economy, and the state.

 

Tell your state senator you don't want your tax dollars wasted on dangerous

and unnecessary legislation like S938 and S1670!

 

 

 

 

(http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2 & c=UZgL1v6szhRa7xxS5Otcdupu5M\

lB+zw7)

 

 

 

These bills could be voted on any day - click above to make your voice heard!

 

 

As always, strength in numbers is our community's greatest resource, and we

couldn't do what we do to protect the freedoms of natural health consumers

without your help.

 

Thanks for staying invovled in the fight!

 

The Citizens for Health Team

 

 

 

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