Ephedra Banned in Suffolk County, NY

[Guest guest]

Since we were talking about ephedra issues fairly recently I figured

I'd post the latest news ...

 

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

Baby #2 Due VERY soon (just 1-4 weeks left!)

 

http://www.alittleolfactory.com

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Suffolk county lawmakers ban dietary supplement.

http://cbsnewyork.com/nynews/NY--EphedraBan-on/resources_news_html

 

Tuesday February 11, 2003

 

HUNTINGTON, N.Y. (AP) Suffolk county lawmakers passed a ban on the

sale of the dietary supplement Ephedra Tuesday night.

 

The Suffolk County legislature passed the ban by a 12-5 vote.

Legislator John Cooper, D-Huntington, who sponsored the bill, said

the dietary supplement can be extremely dangerous even if taken

according to the directions on the label.

 

``The industry lobbyists don't want people to know this, but the

simple fact is Ephedra kills,'' Cooper said.

 

Ephedra, a popular herb commonly used for weight loss and body

building, has long been controversial. The FDA has reports of 100

deaths among ephedra users, and a report in the New England Journal

of Medicine two years ago cited about 1,000 reports of complications

linked to the herb since the mid-1990s.

 

Manufacturers insist that reports of sick patients instead of a

definitive diagnosis from a doctor or a definitive autopsy don't

count as proof an herb is risky. They contend an industry-

commissioned study shows the herb is safe with a daily dose of 90

milligrams.

 

There are few laws that ban the sale of Ephedra, although it has

banned by the International Olympic Committee, the National Football

League and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

 

The Suffolk County executive now has 30 days to either sign the bill

or veto it. Legislators can seek to override the veto with a two-

thirds majority.

 

 

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. .)

 

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Dangerous Enough To Ban?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/10/eveningnews/main540085.shtml

 

(CBS) There is a new frontline in the fight over widely sold

supplements

containing the controversial drug Ephedra.

 

As CBS News has reported, the U.S. military is concerned enough about

Ephedra's safety to ban sales at base stores.

 

Now, a survey of U.S. poison-control centers suggests two-thirds of

all bad reactions to herbal supplements involve Ephedra.

 

Peter Schlendorf bought one such herbal supplement, an energy booster

containing the drug Ephedra on spring break in Florida. As soon as he

took it, his heart began to race uncontrollably. His buddies left him

in the motel to rest.

 

As CBS News Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports, when his friends

came back to the room, he was gone. He had died.

 

The medical examiner blamed Ephedra.

 

How could there be something out there that you can buy in any health

food store, or in this case in a T-shirt shop, that could kill you?

 

Ephedra, a chemical cousin to speed, is linked to heart attacks,

strokes and seizures. But the FDA is mired in debate over whether to

ban it. Classified as a food supplement and not a drug, more proof of

harm is needed to pull it off the market. But proof is harder to get

because supplement makers don't have to report adverse events.

 

So Peter's mother began a hometown crusade pushing for the first

Ephedra ban in the nation in Suffolk County, New York. Legislator Jon

Cooper took up the cause and found himself battling the powerful

Ephedra industry.

 

" There was a massive, massive lobbying campaign against the bill,

like nothing I have seen in my years in the legislature, " Cooper

says.

 

The Ephedra industry says there's no chance the ban will pass.

 

" The clinical data show that the product works and helps people with

weight loss, and it is safe if you take it as directed. So there's

really no need for a ban, " an industry spokesperson said.

 

But the odds may have shifted toward the ban after a new study found

Ephedra is dangerous even in recommended doses. The industry disputes

the study, saying some of the authors are Ephedra critics. A vote on

the ban could come tomorrow.

 

It could be argued that a ban of Ephedra in one county in all of

America would not amount to much. But Suffolk County, New York has a

reputation for being a trendsetter. It passed the first car cellular

phone ban and the first bottle recycling law. Now, Ephedra critics

hope it will also lead to a national ban of Ephedra.

 

 

© MMIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. .

[Guest guest]

>``The industry lobbyists don't want people to know this, but >the

>simple fact is Ephedra kills,'' Cooper said.

 

OH and state legislators know all about herbalism :-)~

Grrrrrrrrrrr.

 

>Ephedra, a popular herb commonly used for weight loss and >body

>building, has long been controversial.

 

Because THATS NOT WHAT ITS FOR!

used properly- it is just fine-

it is the irresponsible manufacturers and the mindless people who drink

coffee and take a whole package of these " weight loss formulas " that are at

fault....

 

sorry for yelling...

 

Michelle