RED ALERT VITAMIN CONSUMERS: COMMENTS PERIOD ENDS AUGUST 4th ON REPORT
WHICH THREATENS TO GIVE FDA MORE POWER- CREATE OTC DRUG CATEGORY FOR HERBS/
BOTANICALS.    PLEASE FORWARD!!! EMAIL DIRECT TO DR.FISHER AT THE
COMMISSION ON DIETARY SUPPLEMENT LABELS AT: cdsl@birchdavis.com  THIS
ADDRESS TO
GO INTO USE ON THURSDAY 7/31. DON'T SEND EMAIL TO IT BEFORE THAT- TIL THEN
FAX IN FORM LETTER BELOW
TO NUMBER PROVIDED
>
>On August 4th, the comments period ends on the draft report on the US
Commission on Dietary Supplement Labels. Following this message I have a
form letter which I urge you to fax or mail in to the Commission on Dietary
Supplements, as well as to your Senators and Congressmen.
>
>The reason you must do this is simple: we must try to extend the comments
period so that more people can have the time necessary to procure copies of
the 77 page draft report in order to have sufficient time to review it,
discuss it, and draft comments to its many highly controversial
recommendations, which includes creating an Over the Counter (OTC) drug
category for herbs and botanicals and giving broad new powers to the FDA
that they would use against the dietary supplement industry (to the
detriment of consumers).
>
> When the pharmaceutical industry wants to try to push their agenda past
consumers, they often wait until the summer when people are on vacation and
its much harder to get organized in opposition. As a lobbyist working to
defend the rights of dietary supplement consumers, I've seen this happen
time and time again.
>
>The Report of the Commission on Dietary Supplement Labels doesn't carry
the force of law, however this report is STILL very dangerous to consumers
because legislators who know nothing about health freedom issues will be
influenced by it, and will get behind a legislative push to give FDA added
new powers to attack the dietary supplement industry and to create an OTC
drug definition for herbs and botanicals. This is Codex harmonization. We
worked hard to define dietary supplements and herbs as foods under DSHEA,
and it is unwise to blur the line between foods and drugs that we worked so
hard to create.If we don't push for an extension on the comments period on
the Report of the Commission on Dietary Supplement Labels, we will be
allowing a blueprint to stand unchallenged which will be used to guide a
legislative campaign that will hasten the destruction of health freedom in
the US.
>
>Please forward this alert widely, copy the enclosed form letter to your
word processor, fax it in to the Commission on Dietary Supplement Labels,
your Senators and Congressmen, and set up tables in front of your health
food store to get people to sign lots of them which you can send in en
masse. Go on the radio to talk about this, and discuss it in usenet and on
online mailing lists. Remember, its summer. Each of us has to work 10x
harder to compensate for all the people who aren't around to help right now
>
>
>NO TO OTC DRUG CATEGORY FOR HERBS AND BOTANICALS
>THESE COMMENTS SUBMITTED UNDER PROTEST TO DIETARY SUPPLEMENT LABEL
COMMISSION PRIOR TO UNFAIR AUGUST 4, 1997 DEADLINE
>
>To: Kenneth D. Fisher, Ph.D. Executive Director, Commission on Dietary
Supplement Labels
>Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
>R. 728G Hubert H. Humphrey Building
>200 Independence Ave. S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201
>Ph. 1-202-401-5811 Fax: 1-202-205-0463					Date:       1997
>
>Dear Dr. Fisher:
>
>I understand that the Commission was (supposedly) created "as an
independent agency under the executive branch" by the passage of the
Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 to..."conduct a study
on, and provide recommendations for, the regulation of label claims and
statements for dietary supplements, including the use of literature in
connection with the sale of dietary supplements and procedures for the
evaluation of such claims." I understand that in making its
recommendations, the Commission is to..."evaluate how best to provide
truthful, scientifically valid, and not misleading information to consumers
so that such consumers may make informed and appropriate health care
choices for themselves and their families." (How can the Commission be said
to have been "independent under the executive branch" when it was set up
under HHS, the same cabinet dept. which includes FDA??? Was the Commission
legally established in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act,
PL 92-463? Were all meetings TRULY open? Shouldn't it have been set up as a
TRULY "independent agency"???)
--- PCBoard/2 15.30
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