Originally published September 24 2010
Help end criminalization of vitamin, supplement makers in America
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
(NaturalNews) Telling the truth in America is currently illegal... at least as far as food and supplements are concerned. You see, for decades the federal government has suppressed the free speech rights of food and supplement manufacturers, preventing them from telling the truth about how their products improve health and prevent disease -- even when that information is based on peer-reviewed scientific studies published in scientific journals. But right now, three vital pieces of legislation hold the potential to end the era of censorship in America and once again restore freedom of speech to the health industry.
But your help is needed to make this a reality.
The U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act currently defines anything that cures, treats, mitigates, diagnoses or prevents disease as a drug. This means that making truthful claims about the cancer-preventing properties of green tea, for instance, is illegal because if such claims are true, then green tea is automatically considered an unapproved drug. So farmers, supplement manufacturers and vitamin formulators are forced to remain silent about the health benefits of their products while drug companies are free to run wild making all sorts of bizarre claims about the alleged health benefits of pharmaceuticals.
In 1994, natural health advocates won an important victory when Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), legislation that effectively shut down the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agenda to eliminate access to dietary supplements. The grassroots uprising that led to the passage of DSHEA is considered to be one of the most successful political efforts initiated by the American public to preserve and uphold health freedoms, and it's what allows you to buy vitamins, herbs and superfoods today.
Being able to buy and sell vitamin and herb supplements today is an important thing, but the fact that they can't be truthfully labeled is a crime against the People of America. Manufacturers aren't even allowed to place links on their websites to scientific studies that explain the health benefits of herbs and vitamins. This oppression of scientific knowledge allows the FDA to keep people in the dark about the nutritional benefits of herbs, vitamins and supplements. It keeps America nutritionally illiterate, effectively.
Fortunately, we once again have the opportunity to gain a DSHEA-type victory for free speech in health, but it will take the combined effort of many people just like you to make it a reality.
Three important bills need your help in order to get passed
The Free Speech About Science Act of 2010 (H.R.4913) is one of three bills currently sitting in committee that desperately needs public pressure to keep it moving forward. Introduced by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and cosponsored by Jared Polis (D-CO), the bipartisan bill will amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to permit the free exchange of legitimate scientific evidence showing that food, herbs and vitamins hold therapeutic, healing power.
Sponsored by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), the Freedom of Health Speech Act (H.R.3394) is similar in that it stops the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from being able to freely and arbitrarily prosecute food and supplement manufacturers for making legitimate health claims. The bill will rightly place the burden of proof on the FTC to prove that a claim is false before attacking the company that made it, rather than the other way around. (Currently, vitamin and supplement companies can find themselves accused and tried in "FTC court" even though they've committed no crime and done nothing wrong.)
Then we have H.R.3395, the Health Freedom Act, which will reign in the FDA from abusing its authority through claims of false advertising leveled against food and supplement manufacturers. Like H.R.3394, the Health Freedom Act puts the burden of proof on the FDA to convince a court that a claim is false before being able to pursue a company for making health claims.
Take action NOW and you'll make a lasting difference
These three vital pieces of legislation, if passed, would lead to sweeping changes in the way the federal government treats food and supplement manufacturers. No longer would the truth about the healing power of food and supplements be suppressed by special interests. And as consumers become educated in the truth and change their dietary habits, their reliance on dangerous drugs and expensive surgeries will decline, leading to drastically lower health care costs and improved longevity, productivity and happiness among the population.
But none of this will happen if you don't help us take action now to get these bills out of committee and up for a vote.
Citizens for Health, a non-profit natural health advocacy group, has put together a very useful tool with which you can contact your Congressmen directly about them. You can access the tool here:
http://truehealthclaims.citizens.org
When writing, be sure to ask your Congressmen not only to support the bills, but also to cosponsor them. If they are up for reelection this year, tell them you won't vote for them unless they do.
The time is now to do what it takes to win back freedom of health speech. If you care about the freedom to be informed of the true health benefits of natural products, please help us take action now to take back your rights from the FDA and FTC (which would rather we all just remained ignorant and illiterate about nutrition). Remember, freedom has never been won through passive apathy but through active pursuit.
Members of Congress calculate that every person who bothers to contact them via email represents about 30,000 voters. So by sending one email today, you can effectively speak up for 30,000 people in your state or district. That's power to influence! So speak up today using this link:
http://truehealthclaims.citizens.org
Sources for this story include:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bil...
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bil...
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bil...
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml