McCain Bill will end supplement industry.

[anthonyclark]

McCain bill threatens access to vitamins and supplements
by Ethan Huff, citizen journalist
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(NaturalNews) Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) has introduced a new bill called The Dietary Supplement Safety Act (DSSA) of 2010 (S. 3002), that, if enacted, would severely curtail free access to dietary supplements. Cosponsored by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), the bill would essentially give the FDA full control over the supplement industry.

Most of the industrialized world has incredibly restrictive laws governing supplements. People worldwide often purchase supplements from the U.S. because they are freely available at low costs.

All of this could change, however, if DSSA passes. DSSA would change key sections of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C), undoing protections in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994, effectively eliminating free access to supplements.

The importance of DSHEA
The passage of DSHEA resulted from millions of Americans who worked hard to reinforce their freedom to buy and sell supplements. At the time, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was alleging that nutrients like CoQ10 and selenium were dangerous and should be pulled from the market.

Though weak in some areas, DSHEA established a foundation upon which free access to dietary supplements would be protected from attacks by drug companies and the FDA.

What prompted DSSA?
McCain's DSSA bill emerged in response to illegal steroid use among Major League Baseball players. Likely instigated by pharmaceutical interests, the bill is being posited as necessary to prevent supplement adulteration.

The FDA already has the power to pull supplements from the market that are contaminated but it has not been doing its job. DSSA is not only unnecessary, but it would actually reward the FDA for its failures. DSSA would also strip DSHEA and give full control of the supplement industry to the FDA.

Registration requirements
DSSA would mandate that all supplement companies register with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the FDA. Any company that refuses to register and comply with HHS would be subject to hefty fines, the classification of its products as "adulterated", and their removal from the market. The new system would burden manufacturers with significant new costs that would cause supplement prices to increase. A new taxpayer-funded bureaucracy would also be created to conduct inspections and oversee compliance.

Reporting requirements
DSSA would require all "non-serious adverse events" received by supplement companies to be reported to the government, regardless of whether or not the events are related to the supplements for which they are submitted. Pharmaceutical companies would have access to these reports which they could use to petition the FDA to have supplements removed from the market. The FDA could also arbitrarily pull supplements from the market if it believes it has "reasonable probability" that there may be a problem.

FDA would decide which supplements are legal
Perhaps the most chilling aspect of DSSA is that it would allow the HHS Secretary to establish a list of permitted supplements. Reversing common law, which assumes all is legal unless restricted, DSSA would allow only what is permitted to be legal.

In a nutshell, DSSA would increase supplement costs for consumers, grant incredible new power over the supplement industry to the FDA, and drastically limit the availability of supplements. Drug companies could also use the bill to remove supplements from the market, patent them, and sell them as drugs!

It is absolutely critical to contact your Congressmen and oppose this bill. Please visit the LifeExtension Magazine Legislative Action Center and click on the "take action" button to express opposition.

The Alliance for Natural Health also has a convenient Contact Tool with which you can urge your Congressmen not to sponsor the bill.

Sources:

Senator McCain Files New Bill That Attacks Your Access to Supplements and Repeals Key Sections of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act - Alliance for Natural Health

The Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010 - Senator John McCain

New Bill Seeks to Ban Consumer Access to Dietary Supplements - Life Extension Foundation

[WetWorks]

I'm not sure how he got reelected. I'm not sure how half the cronies got reelected. he preaches smaller government, but I'm not seeing it.

[ARev500]

This is old news. McCain dropped his efforts to pass this bill months ago.

A

[cookiedough]

Thank God. I did notice that the bill is marked for 2010 & not 2011.

[WetWorks]

I figured it was part of the food safety bill they didn't debate on and forced it through.

[twin]

would never pass

[Mr.Nick]

Originally Posted by twin

would never pass

I wouldn't say that. Did you read the part that said it would allow the pharmaceutical companies to patent and sell supplements? Those pharm companies have seriously deep pockets with all of our politicians in them. That's the reason for why the pharmaceutical industry is allowed to continue doing the fucked things it does.

[anthonyclark]

Originally Posted by cookiedough

Thank God. I did notice that the bill is marked for 2010 & not 2011.

McCain is talking about bringing it back up again in 2011 thats what I heard anyway.

[neveroutgunned80]

the day something like this passes it won't be that great of a surprise. 99% of the stuff out there is crap, the hardest thing is decoding actual ingrediants and potency levels. if we didn't have all these garbage ass supp companies flooding the market with false advertisements it would take the sport to a much more realistic level and bring a new light on aas in general. the public would have to actually learn about supps, vitamins and minerals, it would create a wider mass of ppl in different classes that would have a better over all knowledge which would lead to a more fundamental understanding of why so many ppl aren't in shape, or obese. I know it would cause harm to the legit ppl, but seriously over all it's a billion dollar industry of lies. it should be shut down and ppl should be taught there is no easy fix. go pick up and body building magazine. tear out every ad. let me know of those ads which products are legit and how many pages are left in the magazine.

[WetWorks]

Originally Posted by neveroutgunned80

the day something like this passes it won't be that great of a surprise. 99% of the stuff out there is crap, the hardest thing is decoding actual ingrediants and potency levels. if we didn't have all these garbage ass supp companies flooding the market with false advertisements it would take the sport to a much more realistic level and bring a new light on aas in general. the public would have to actually learn about supps, vitamins and minerals, it would create a wider mass of ppl in different classes that would have a better over all knowledge which would lead to a more fundamental understanding of why so many ppl aren't in shape, or obese. I know it would cause harm to the legit ppl, but seriously over all it's a billion dollar industry of lies. it should be shut down and ppl should be taught there is no easy fix. go pick up and body building magazine. tear out every ad. let me know of those ads which products are legit and how many pages are left in the magazine.

you have a huge point. they need to fix the labels and what is the truth. I think this country is run on nothing but lies anymore.

[neveroutgunned80]

it's so sad WW. on one side I'm happy because it's another factor from having every retard out there on aas that shouldn't be, but it seems like as many ppl out there on legit Rx trt/hrt that it's time to really sit down with big govornment and discuss why ppl are the way they are and how it fits into why our economy is the way it is. I see body building as a way to make things better, the industry sees it as a way to profit. I say if it isn't lab created by chemists and has a full breakdown with all know effects, good and bad, or a natty sup, it shouldn't be for sale anyway.

[WetWorks]

your right NOG, this damn country is run on bull shit, myths and lies. just watch tv