WTO, cause for concern?

June 7, 2004

Do we need to be concerned about what could happen to the herbal industry

due to our membership in the WTO? It seems like many nations are cracking

the whip regarding supplement sales. I'm not totally on top of the

political scene, but I think the EU, Australia, and New Zealand all have

some seriously limiting laws that if approved, would go into effect soon.

At what point does another country's laws tug on the WTO hard enough to

impact us, & how would the changes manifest? The WTO wields a might stick

in these matters (if Jello Biafra can be believed...).

I don't have the answers, I'm just curious if we need to have our attention

pointed overseas.

I pulled some docs from the internet that were mentioned on another

newsgroup (Chinese Traditional Medicine). I haven't had the chance to read

everything, but wanted to include the links for the interest of those with

waaaaaay too much time on their hands The links seem for the most part

to be pretty alarmist, but alarms are useful if there's a fire. I just

don't know if there's a fire.

http://www.healthcharter.org.nz/health_freedom_plan.doc

http://www.iahf.com/iadsa

http://www.thehealthcrusader.com/pgs/article-0104-ban.shtml

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2003/2003_preprint_eu_01.htm

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2004/mar2004_awsi_death_01.htm

-Tim Sharpe

June 8, 2004

Tim,

WTO and the Codex Alimentarius issue, specifically, is definitely something that

we need to act on immediately. The German pharmaceutical companies initiated

Codex in the early 1990's and are bulldozing their way by armtwisting and

blackmailing government officials in the target nations, in spite of massive

protest by citizens in most of the target nations. WTO and the international

Codex commission have been attempting to minimize public protest by a

combination of secrecy and inhibition of media exposure.

For a summary of the significance of this:

http://www.rmhiherbal.org/review/2003-2.html

Orwellian schemes for maximizing health-care industry profits

- How these endanger the practice of herbal medicine

(see especially " International tactics " )

After studying these issues, I concluded that the best way to fight this is

through Health Freedom Acts, both local and international. There are several

organizations I would recommend:

National Health Freedom Coalition (USA)

www.nationalhealthfreedom.com

International Associates for Health Freedom

www.iahf.com

These organizations support both:

unrestricted access to herbs, vitamins, and supplements (though they

also favor truth in labeling of ingredients)

freedom for unlicensed health professionals to practice methods that are

not of " imminent danger " to the public, such as herbology, without harrassment

by medical practice statutes

and they have been successful. Health Freedom Acts are under consideration in

over a dozen states, 3 already have adopted them (Calif., Minn., RI), and many

more states in the process of organizing action groups (Montana included).

I also believe that my financial support that goes to these organizations will

be much more effective than any partisan battles between MDs, acupuncturists,

naturopaths, and other professions to fight over the privilege of prescribing a

growing set of restricted herbs under FDA " traditional medicines " exception. If

you think you will be permanently included in this cozy club, you may be in for

a surprise. Ultimately, the MDs will win if you go that route, as the

pharmaceutical companies have had their eye on the growing herbal market and

wish to control it.

The advantage of joining with the Health Freedom people is that their support is

very broad worldwide. If TCM organizations worldwide join forces with them, it

may be enough of a boost to kick the pharmaceutical cartels in the butt and

defeat Codex.

---Roger Wicke, PhD, TCM Clinical Herbalist