MPs pass bill to put herbs under food directorate

Parliament passed a bill Oct. 22 to place natural health products (NHPs) under a food directorate rather than a drug directorate. Thanks to legislation tabled by Dr. James Lunney, Alliance MP for Nanaimo-Alberni, herbs, vitamins and supplements should be more readily available in future.

Dr. Lunney's private member's bill raised concerns that outdated parts of the Food and Drugs Act have been used to take low-risk, high benefit vitamin, mineral and herbal products off the market. With Bill C-420, explained Lunney, there would still be evaluations and inspections, but they would come from a more appropriate food-style directorate, one that better understands the history and culture of such products.

Parliamentarians carried the bill saying: 1) That dietary supplements, botanicals, herbs and other natural health products are not drugs, but rather are foods. 2) That Sec 3(1), 3(2) and Schedule "A" are to be repealed. These sections prohibit claims from being made on dietary supplements and other natural health products.

Many MPs voted across party lines to carry the bill. A historic act itself because while many nations are moving under pharmaceutical company pressure to restrict the use of dietary supplements and herbs, Canada is now moving in the opposite direction.

In order to become law, the bill now must go to the Standing Committee on Health for examination and hearings before it returns to the House for third and final reading. The last step is passage by the Senate. A majority of 124 MPs voted for the bill and 85 against. There is no guarantee C-420 will pass; 92 MPs did not cast a vote on second reading of the bill.

Support for the bill was provided by a number of groups including the Red Umbrellas. This group of women had been diagnosed with depression, bipolar or other mental disorders but had overcame their disorders through the use of an NHP.

One Red Umbrella member for example had been on psychiatric drugs for 18 years and spent about 10 percent of that time in hospital. Her family was spending up to $1,800 per month on drugs that were destroying her liver and pancreas and she had to be under constant suicide watch. With the supplement

Empowerplus she is able to hold a job, has stopped the harmful drugs and her husband reports he has a new wife.

When the University of Calgary began a $500,000 study of Empowerplus treatment for bipolar disorder, Health Canada stepped in to halt the study and seize the product because claims were being made for medical benefits.

The producer's offices were raided and product and records seized. Authorities are reported to have used the company's database to get client names and then contacted these people and told them to see a psychiatrist.

Under the old legislation it is illegal to make any claims of medical benefits for NHPs.

Many individuals and groups provided support to Bill C-420 including Friends of Freedom. To date more than 100,000 petition names were delivered to Parliament to protest the actions of Health Canada and support the "foods are not drugs" movement.

We invite Common Ground readers to send in letters or email on this very important matter. Bill C-420 will still require tremendous support to be brought into law.

Contact MP James Lunney at www.jameslunneymp.ca.

For further information contact:
www.redumbrellas.ca, www.friendsoffreedom.org, or www.hans.org