John McCain’s Assault Against Liberty
From the Alliance for Natural Health website.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) introduced legislation last week to further regulate vitamins and supplements.
McCain’s bill is called The Dietary Supplement Safety Act (DSSA). It would repeal key sections of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). DSHEA protects supplements if 1) they are food products that have been in the food supply and not chemically altered or 2) if they were sold as supplements prior to 1994, the year that DSHEA was passed. If a supplement fits one of these two descriptions, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cannot arbitrarily ban it or reclassify it as a drug.
These protections are far from perfect. They discourage companies from developing new forms of supplements. New supplements may be arbitrarily banned by the FDA or adopted by drug companies in a way that precludes their further sale as supplements.
McCain’s bill would wipe out even the minimal protections contained in DSHEA. It would give the FDA full discretion and power to compile a discreet list of supplements allowed to remain on the market while banning all others.
Why is Senator McCain proposing this legaslation? He probably is doing this on behalf of the pharmacutical industry for a campaing contribution. It’s that simple.
In my opinion the pharmacutical industry has one goal. That goal is to have every American on one or more pharamacutical drugs for the rest of their life. This is exactly what McCain will deliver with this bill.
More from the Alliance for Natural Health website.
On Monday, Senator McCain released a Senate Floor Statement defending his Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010. He lashed out at “opponents of the bill and their well-paid Washington lobbyists” who have “spread false statements and rumors about the legislation”.
OK. So what are these alleged “false statements and rumors”?
McCain again:
“Opponents have stated that the legislation would seek to limit consumers’ ability to purchase dietary supplements, vitamins, or prescription drugs. That is completely false…. If you take a vitamin now, this bill will in no way restrict your ability to take that vitamin.”
McCain clearly hasn’t read his own bill. Perhaps he needs a plain English version. Under current law, the FDA cannot arbitrarily ban a supplement that was sold prior to October 15, 1994, the date that the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) was passed. McCain’s bill wipes out that protection. What supplements would be legal to sell if this bill passes? Only those supplements “included on [a] list…prepared, published, and maintained by the [FDA]“. In other words, traditional (pre 1994) supplements would no longer be protected. The FDA would have arbitrary power to choose permitted supplements and (importantly) supplement doses.
Senator McCain is engaging in patent falsehoods here, not the critics. And let’s not forget: the FDA has repeatedly shown its hostility to supplements and favoritism toward drugs (perhaps because drugs pay the FDA’s bills). An FDA with arbitrary power over supplements could very well be expected to institute a European style regulatory regime, one that restricts the amount of beta carotene in a supplement to what is available from half a carrot. Sound ridiculous? It is happening right now in Europe, and the FDA is in close touch with the European regulators.
McCain touches on just this point. He says that “Opponents also claim the bill establishes a new regulatory structure for dietary supplements. That is completely false.” But it’s not false; it’s true. The broad regulatory framework for supplements at the moment is provided by DSHEA. McCain’s bill guts the protections provided by DSHEA and gives the FDA complete and arbitrary authority. If that isn’t a new regulatory structure, what is?
It’s time to clean house. John McCain needs to go.
If you feel as strongly as I do about this issue and have had a belly full of the ‘Maverick,’ (AKA RINO), John McCain then go to JD Hayworth’s campaign website and donate! I already have.