EURO CLASSIFIES VITAMINS AS DRUGS

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Euro Parliament Classifies Vitamins As Drugs - US Next?

By

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert 4

4-29-2

Imagine dropping by your favorite health food store to find it boarded up and

out of business. So you go around to your local drug mart to pick up some

vitamin C, but the only dosage on the shelf is ridiculously low. The druggist

informs you that 60 mg is now the maximum dosage available without a

prescription. So if you've been taking a mega dosage of vitamin C to help

fight heart disease or build up your immunity against cancer, you'll have to

find a doctor willing to prescribe that dosage - you're no longer free to

decide on your own how much of this natural vitamin you want to take.  

Sounds like a nightmare? It gets worse.   Imagine that all of this is the

result of new legislation imposed by lawmakers with direct ties to

pharmaceutical companies - powerful companies that will use the law to create

an enormous new source of profits. Now that's a real nightmare. But what

makes it truly nightmarish is that, incredibly, it will soon become a reality

in the United Kingdom and most of Europe - if the global pharmaceutical

industry has its way.   On March 13th the European Parliament - a 626-member

legislative body representing the 15 European Union countries - passed the

" EU Directive on Dietary Supplements, " which classifies vitamins as medical

drugs rather than food supplements. The Directive grants a transition period

of three years for vitamin supplements already on the market. But in 2005,

every EU country will be required to implement the Directive.   As it

currently stands, in just three years a wide range of natural remedies will

be banned across most of Europe, making as many as 300 ingredients -

including chromium picolinate, yeast, lysine, and selenium - illegal for

over-the-counter sale. Other supplements that remain in stores will contain

very low dosage amounts - not enough to provide any real therapeutic value.  

It's almost like they're passing a law against prevention. So not only are

the pharmaceutical companies eliminating competition from natural products

for treating illnesses, they are essentially forcing greater need for

prescription products for citizens of the EU. After all, without prevention,

where will people be forced to turn when they get even the slightest bit ill?

To physicians who will prescribe mainstream pharmaceuticals or

super-strength, prescription-only vitamins supplied by - guess who - the

Pfizers, Mercks, and Bayers of the world.   Nothing strange about these

bedfellows   To make things even worse, a number of European Union

Commissioners have direct links to international pharmaceutical companies.

For instance, a prominent EU Commissioner, Frits Bolkenstein of the

Netherlands, is also a member of the supervisory board of the second largest

pharmaceutical company in the world - Merck, Sharp and Dohme. The blatant

pharmaceutical industry influence on this directive would be laughable if the

consequences weren't so great.   In a smooth double-speak that's almost

frightening, the EU Directive states: " In order to ensure a high level of

protection for consumers and facilitate their choice, the products that will

be put on the market must be safe and bear adequate and appropriate labeling. "

  The good news is that the " consumers " are not buying it. " Protection? " To

" facilitate their choice? " More than 600 million people read that and shouted

back a resounding, " No! " In what is believed to be the largest global online

petition ever, a staggering 604 million people (to date) have added their

names, demanding continued free access to natural remedies.   Lend your voice

- no matter where you live   I have signed the petition and I encourage you

to do so too if you believe the availability of natural supplements should

not be controlled by the international pharmaceutical industry. Anyone can

sign the petition - you don't have to be a citizen of a European Union nation

to add your name - and you can find more information and read the petition at

http://www.vitamins-for-all.org./english/default.html   This web site was

created by Dr. Matthias Rath, a leading researcher in the field of natural

treatments for cancer, and one of the most prominent campaigners against the

EU Directive.   And for those of you who think this is a European issue -

that this couldn't happen here - consider this: the United States and the

European Union are each other's largest trade and investment partners. In

2000, two-way trade in goods and services between the EU and the US totaled

more than $557 billion. With economic ties this deep, any European law that

gives the global pharmaceutical industry such sweeping power over the health

choices of millions, will have global effects. Once they've conquered Europe,

how long before they set their sights on the US marketplace? Just look at

recent directives from the FDA; it's already happening.   The EU Directive is

not yet law. Our HSI associates in London believe that by the time the

Directive is implemented in 2005 there's a chance that the most oppressive

aspects of the legislation might be eliminated, especially if enough people

raise their voices and mobilize against it. But you can be certain that the

Commissioners of the European Parliament, with special interests and billions

of dollars in the balance, will not back down without a prolonged fight.   In

the meantime, we'll be watching, and I'll keep you informed of developments

as they unfold. And we encourage you to sign the petition demanding open,

unrestricted access to natural medicine and supplements for ALL of us.   To

Your Good Health,   Health Sciences Institute   Sources:

Health Confidential; May 2002, Vol 1, No 3 European Union " Directive on

Dietary Supplements, " healthchoice.org.uk European Union in the US:

eurunion.org Petition 450/2001: vitamins-for-all.org   Copyright ©1997-2002

by Institute of Health Sciences, L.L.C.