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Title: Canada, U.S. Move to Make Vitamins Prescription Drugs - Canada Moves to Stifle Health Freedom; Make Vitamins ‘Prescription Drugs
Source: [None]
URL Source: http://www.americanfreepress.net/ht ... ins_prescription_drugs_14.html
Published: Jul 7, 2008
Author: Mike Finch
Post Date: 2008-07-15 14:45:01 by AllTheKings'HorsesWontDoIt
Keywords: None
Views: 4987
Comments: 30

Canada, U.S. Move to Make Vitamins Prescription Drugs

Canada Moves to Stifle Health Freedom; Make Vitamins ‘Prescription Drugs’

By Mike Finch

Canadian bill C-51 would put natural remedies such as vitamins and herbs in the same regulatory category as pharmaceuticals. If the bill passes, it would dangerously increase government oversight and power regarding natural remedies. “The increased powers and the changes proposed by bill C-51 give Canadians—informed Canadians—a very great cause for concern,” Conservative Member of the Canadian Parliament James Lunney said in testimony before parliament.

“Given the tools that are in C-51. . .could ensure that a lot of good products do not see the light of day.” The “tools” Lunney referred to are greatly increased powers given to the minister of health, Tony Clement. The bill would require applications for all clinical trials, allow Clement to categorize natural remedies and require prescriptions for them, require licensing for all natural remedies, and potentially allow entities like the World Health Organization or Codex Alimentarius [a United Nations globalist creation pushing to tightly regulate what you can and cannot consume] to impose regulations on Canada without regard for the opinions of the voting population or their representatives.

“We’re seeking to gain the new authority to reassure the public that the government can, and will, act to protect health and safety as early as possible,” Minister Clement said in an April press release. Clement would do this by “allowing products, persons or establishments to be registered and licensed.” Lunney said that vitamins, proteins, minerals and herbs have always been “public domain.” This legislation would place such remedies in the same category as prescription drugs. Canadian pharmaceutical companies have been strangely silent on the legislation, columnist Alan Cassels of Common Ground magazine said. “How can we explain tight lips [of Canadian pharmaceutical companies] around the biggest change to the Canadian drug relations in half a century? I can’t answer for sure, but let me hazard a guess: It’s because they like it. They like it a lot,” Cassels said. “Let’s face it—any law that kicks sand in the face of a competitor by blinding him with bureaucratic red tape is a pretty sweet deal.”

But Cassels sees even more in the bill that drug companies will likely love: increased speed in drug approvals, Big Pharma control of after-market testing and an allowance for public advertising. Now Canada’s airwaves will also have drug commercials that the U.S. has had for years. “DTCA (Direct to Consumer Advertising) is the jewel crown of pharma marketing—a potentially $500 million per year ad market in Canada that can transform a ho-hum or even dangerous drug into a blockbuster, through the power of persuasive ads,” Cassels said.

While the drug companies have more freedoms with this bill, the natural remedy industry has fewer.The current process for registering a product with the government is so cumbersome that Lunney estimated 20,000 to 30,000 natural remedies are awaiting approval, and have been for years. C-51 will just provide more red tape. Lots of it. “It seems products like Red Bull [a so-called energy drink] gets an NPN (approval) fairly readily . . . but natural health products that could have a real impact on serious sickness seem to have a hard time getting through,” Lunney said.

Mike Finch is an intern for American Free Press. He specializes in alternative health and energy issues. He has a Master’s degree in journalism and is working on his Ph.D. in communication. Mike presently lives with his wife in Virginia.

(Issue # 28 & 29, July 14 & 21, 2008)

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We are already connected to Canada's health laws through Codex some kind of way...at the moment, I don't recall exactly how. After the NAU merger, it will be complete.

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#4. To: AllTheKings'HorsesWontDoIt, Christine, farmfriend, JamesDeffenbach, Original_Intent, TwentyTwelve, buckeye, Peppa, lodwick, Artisan, IndieTX, Pinguinite, JethroTull, Cynicom, Arator, HayekFan, IndridCold, palo verde, robin, All (#0)

ping

Rotara  posted on  2008-07-15   15:17:25 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#5. To: Rotara, all (#4)

Most of us in the 'truth' community are aware of this treacherous business afoot.

Can't have the slaves trying to get healthy on their own with reasonably priced products...

Lod  posted on  2008-07-15   15:38:57 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#7. To: lodwick, all (#5)

Bill C-51, Codex and the SPP

wudidiz  posted on  2008-07-15   15:50:12 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#8. To: wudidiz. all (#7)

How can fast-tracking potentially dangerous new drugs and at the same time outlawing some beneficial natural medicines be good for anyone? One must understand that it is also about ensuring huge profits for Big Pharma. Bill C-51 should be rejected on the grounds that it threatens the ability of Canadians to choose alternative health products and treatments.

Good linkage - thanks.

Lod  posted on  2008-07-15   15:58:32 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


Replies to Comment # 8.

#20. To: lodwick, wudidiz, farmfriend, Rotara, AllTheKings'HorsesWontDoIt (#8)

How can fast-tracking potentially dangerous new drugs and at the same time outlawing some beneficial natural medicines be good for anyone? One must understand that it is also about ensuring huge profits for Big Pharma. Bill C-51 should be rejected on the grounds that it threatens the ability of Canadians to choose alternative health products and treatments.

The Canadian gov't has always been very controlling of its taxpayers' health. This new bill to make vitamins less accessible by labelling them as medications is not surprising frankly.

This is one of the significant downsides of having government run health care - gov't can tell you what you can and can't do with your health; gov't maintains records on your health and on what physicians prescribe and on what pharmacies sell. As an example i our system, Americans are allowed to order 3 months supply for personal use of a drug prescribed by their physician from outside the USA to save money. Canadians are not allowed to do the same. Go figure.

I'm not sure how this bill helps Big Pharma in Canada though. The Canadian gov't allows in the main generic drugs to be prescribed for Canadians. Big Pharma does not make much money in Canada. The reason US citizens pay through the nose for meds here is because Big Pharma socks it to us for the research it does on new drugs that no other nation pays for but from which these same nations benefit later down the line when generics come available.

Frankly I don't see Big Pharma competing with vitamin companies in Canada. This Bill 51 is about government controlling their "subjects" lives. Same old same old.

Here's an article from the Edmonton Journal - less shrill than the article under discussion but with the same concerns expressed. You'll note that US vitamin companies withdrew their products from Canada voluntarily because they didn't want to jump through the hoops and loops to get approval from the new Canadian gov't bureaucracy.

If the US gov't is in on this bill, it means that our gov't is gearing up to implement socialized medicine like in Canada and control our lives and our health choices/decisions per what the Canadian gov't does. Welcome to "free" gubment run medical system.

www.canada.com/edmontonjo...356-98bc-c23e13a9216d&p=1

"Strong medicine for Canada's natural health industry"

John Biggs, The Edmonton Journal

scrapper2  posted on  2008-07-15 18:44:55 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


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