July 17, 2003
http://www.ymlp.com/pubarchive.php?jham+50
NANAIMO—Dr. James Lunney, MP for Nanaimo-Alberni, reacted with outrage to
Tuesdays RCMP/ Health Canada raid on a Natural Health Products company in
Raymond, Alberta.
“Health Canada’s latest attack on the freedom of Canadians to make their own
health choices is intolerable. They have resorted to extreme, unwarranted
measures to prevent promising, low risk products from reaching Canadians who
require them. This bureaucratic interference is out of control; it is contrary
to science and to the public interest.”
On July 15, about twenty armed officers and Health Canada officials raided the
offices of Truehope Nutritional Support, charging the company has been selling a
nutritional supplement to the mentally ill without government approval. The RCMP
demanded that employees immediately stop working and back away from their
computers. They proceeded to downloaded company information from hard drives
while confiscating stacks of documents.
The supplement in question, Empowerplus, a combination of 36 vitamins, minerals
and anti-oxidants, has a successful track record in treating symptoms of mental
illness. Health Canada states that, under Canadian law, making health claims
classifies a supplement as a drug and therefore requires solid, scientific proof
of effectiveness before it can be legally sold.
Meanwhile, without any scientific evidence of safety or effectiveness, Health
Canada has approved a plan to distribute marijuana through Medical Doctors. This
week Minister Anne McLellan stated that if medical marijuana proved not to work
she’ll shut down the program. Yet, Health Canada has already moved to shut
down the $544,000 study of Empowerplus being conducted at the University of
Calgary, despite early evidence of effectiveness. What’s wrong with this
picture?
After the Health Committee report in 1999 and the Transition Team Report in
2000, Canadians were led to believe that the antiquated clauses in the Food and
Drug Act that forbid health claims for natural health products would be
addressed to acknowledge the scientific evidence that many diseases and
disorders can be mitigated through judicious use of natural health products.
Lunney has sponsored a Private Members Bill (C-420) which is currently before
the House; it would place natural health products under a food directorate
rather than an adversarial drug style bureaucracy.
“These draconian measures against a promising vitamin and mineral compound
betray the public trust. It’s time to reign in Health Canada’s Keystone Cops
and give Canadians freedom of choice in personal health care,” concluded
Lunney.
For further information please contact:
Dr. James Lunney – (613) 992-5243 or (250) 390-7550
Ottawa:
Room 678, Confederation Bldg
House of Commons,
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Tel: 613-992-5243
Fax : 613-992-9112
International Advocates for Health Freedom
POB 10632 Blacksburg VA 24062 USA
http://www.iahf.com; http://iadsa-exposed.tripod.com
800-333-2553 N.America
540-961-0476 World
