Attempt to Subvert DSHEA

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NATIONAL HEALTH FEDERATION

PRESS RELEASE

Anti-Supplement Congressmen At It Again & Other Important Legislation

 

 

 

Consumer Action Needed To Amend the FDA Globalization Act of 2008

Contact Your Congressional Representatives Now

 

 

 

 

June 5, 2008

 

[it is critical that consumers push to amend this proposed bill to exempt

its application to dietary supplements, or there will be more regulation,

higher costs for supplement manufacturers (domestic and foreign), and higher

costs

for consumers.]

 

 

 

The FDA Globalization Act – Higher Costs for Supplements

By Lee Bechtel, NHF National Lobbyist

The Kennedy/Durbin/Dingell/Waxman, pro-FDA/anti-supplement axis does not

rest.

Now, Representative John Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of the House Energy and

Commerce Committee, has released draft legislation that would institute new

yearly Food and Drug Administration (FDA) user fees for domestic and foreign

dietary-supplement manufacturers. The proposed bill, the FDA Globalization

Act, does not exempt supplements from inclusion and classification as food

products or ingredients. Sound familiar as a legislative strategy for the

Democratic-controlled Congress and their anti-supplement leaders?

The draft bill's provisions also give the FDA one-sided legal authority to

recall contaminated " foods " and " unsafe medications. " Currently, the Agency

can only ask companies to withdraw a supplement product it deems to be a drug,

an adulterated food, or unsafe for consumers. This new legislation would

establish a group of inspectors to monitor companies that manufacture

nutritional foods, supplements, drugs, and medical devices abroad. To fund

these

changes, and to pay for the expansion of FDA authority, the bill creates new

FDA

user fees for domestic and foreign manufacturers. Foreign companies

importing supplements for distribution within the U.S. would also be required

to

register their products and production facilities with the FDA every year, and

to pay a user fee.

The draft bill has not yet been officially introduced, so it has no bill

number yet. It takes provisions from several bills already introduced –

H.R.3610, H.R.3624, H.R.3115, and H.R.3484. If passed and enacted into law in

its

current version, the legislation would no doubt lead to more FDA regulation of

supplements, higher costs for supplement manufacturers, domestic and foreign,

and these higher costs would in turn be passed on to consumers of dietary

supplements.

Health-freedom advocates and NHF members need to contact their Congressmen

and –women, and especially Energy and Commerce Committee members, to amend

this proposed bill to specifically exempt its application to dietary

supplements. If this does not happen, it would be left to the FDA to interpret

its

application or non-application to supplements. Health-freedom advocates

already

know what has and can happen if this were to occur.

Supplements already have an enviable track record of incredible safety, they

neither deserve nor need yet another layer of bureaucratic control. Above

all, this attempt – yet again – to lump safe supplements into the same

category as dangerous drugs must be defeated.

****************

 

Additional Information on the FDA Globalization Act- (_Click this link_

(http://www.thenhf.com/fda/fda_133/fda_133.htm) )

To Read Representative John Dingell's Memo- (_Click this link_

(http://www.thenhf.com/government_affairs/federal/DingellMemo.pdf) )

To View the Sample Petition Letter- (_Click this link_

(http://www.thenhf.com/government_affairs/federal/FDA_Disease_Claim_Sample_Petit\

ion.doc) )

Committee on Energy and Commerce Members (_Click this link_

(http://www.thenhf.com/press_releases/Energy_Commerce_Com_Members.doc) )

 

 

NHF members and the health freedom community in general, must get behind our

lobbying efforts to obtain clarification/exemption language included in the

Globalization legislation.

 

****************

Click on this address to contact your Congressperson

in the U.S. House of Representatives: _http://www.house.gov/writerep_

(http://www.house.gov/writerep)

Click on the following links below for individual mailing addresses for

letter writing and other contact info for Congress Members:

 

_House of Representatives_

(http://www.thenhf.com/House_Representitives_Contact_List_110_Congress.htm)

_Fax List for Congress_

(http://www.thenhf.com/fax_numbers_for_110_congress.htm)

****************

OTHER IMPORTANT LEGISLATION (Still Pending) THAT NEEDS OUR SUPPORT

 

 

* Health Freedom Protection Act (H.R. 2117)

 

This extremely important bill, which the NHF previously supported and which

has been re-introduced by Rep. Ron Paul, will stop the FDA's and FTC's

longtime efforts of censorship and restriction concerning access to supplement

and

supplement information. Among other things, truthful supplement claims will

no longer be restricted.

Click to read " The Freedom You Protect Is Your Own " by Scott C. Tips

concerning H.R. 2117 legislation- (_Click This Link_

(http://www.thenhf.com/press_releases/THE_FREEDOM_YOU_PROTECT_IS_YOUR_OWN.doc) )

To View H.R. 2117- (_Click This Link_

(http://www.thenhf.com/government_affairs/federal/HR_2117.pdf) )

To View Sample Petition Letter- (_Click This Link_

(http://www.thenhf.com/government_affairs/federal/HR_2117.htm) )

To Send Petition To Your Congressional Representatives- (_Click This Link_

(http://www.usalone.com/cgi-bin/petition.cgi?pnum=643) )

Please support Ron Paul, the NHF, and health freedom by contacting your

Congressional Representatives and encouraging them to cosponsor this

legislation.

 

* Access To Medical Treatment Act (AMTA) H.R. 2717 (Previously H.R.

2794)

Pending introduction in the Senate by Senator Harkin but no Senate bill

number at this time.

 

This act would permit the use of therapies that have not yet been approved

or which may never be approved by the FDA, under the supervision of a state

licensed practitioner. Safe and effective treatments are being used in Europe,

Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Canada but cannot be used here because of

outdated FDA policies. Instead of receiving unapproved FDA medical

treatments for chronic or terminal diseases in their own community, the only

option

for Americans who can afford it is to leave the country. Medical treatment

options should not be unjustifiably restricted.

A collective educational grassroots effort is needed to ensure passage of

this legislation.

To View Sample Petition- (_Click This Link_

(http://www.thenhf.com/government_affairs/federal/ProHR2717AMTA.doc) )

PLEASE LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD ON THESE THREE

IMPORTANT PIECES OF LEGISLATION.

ACT NOW

 

****************

 

As the oldest and best-respected health-freedom group on Capitol Hill, the

NHF continues to be the credible source of objective assessment, and

proactive actions on Congressional legislation and FDA matters that have

meaningful

impacts upon our freedom-of-health choices and access to dietary supplements

and nutritional foods.

 

****************

 

_Click here for the permanent link to this press release, use this link to

inform others._ (http://www.thenhf.com/press_releases/pr_05_june_2008.html)

 

 

National Health Federation: Established in 1955, the National Health

Federation is a consumer-education, health-freedom organization working to

protect

individuals' rights to choose to consume healthy food, take supplements and

use alternative therapies without unnecessary government restrictions. The NHF

is the only such organization with recognized observer-delegate status at

Codex meetings. _www.thenhf.com_ (http://www.thenhf.com/)

 

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