April 14, 1998
To our Members
Who help us stand strong!
There is a very important reason why we are mailing this letter.
On Tuesday, April 7", an alarming fax was forwarded to us -- while it was sent from the BC College of Pharmacies to all Pharmacists in BC, it falls under the direction of a national pharmaceutical authority [National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities]. It outlines amendments to the Drug Scheduling Act of BC, and lists a number of natural products which will now be restricted in the drug stores. We have yet to determine if this means that you may have to say good-bye to these natural products from your local health food stores.
Schedule 1 (prescription only)
Schedule 11 (may only be sold by a pharmacist from behind the counter)
How come this is allowed to happen when Health Minister Rock said there was to be an exemption made for natural products, and even appointed a Standing Committee on Health from which he is supposed to receive recommendations, and then act accordingly.
Like you, we are gravely concerned about consumers losing easy and affordable access to their products, and we said so when we went to Ottawa and gave our submission before the Standing Committee on Feb 5th, 1998. [Highlights of our submission and recommendations will be in the next issue of Health Action but if you want a complete copy, you can order one for $15 [includes postage] from the HANS office by calling [604] 435-0512.
We are also greatly concerned that there are a number of individuals and organizations who say they represent the consumers AND health food stores in this country, and yet they recommend a third category/continuum (sliding scale) under the Food and Drug Act for the regulation of herbs and natural products. On the surface it sounds so logical and many people believe that their products will be safe under a third category.
Do you know who else wants a third category/continuum? From the submissions made to the Standing Committee on Health, we know that Shoppers Drug Mart and the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores do, in addition to BIG industry.
To add insult to injury, we are also greatly concerned that an international agreement will be signed by our country which will give multi-national corporations rights in Canada that could supersede our own government regulations. This is called the Multi-Lateral Agreement on Investment [MAI], and if this goes through, what are we up against in the future?
You, our members, have stood beside us since 1984. We anticipate being here in decades to come, with the consumer and their freedom of choice as our number 1 motivation, not big business. HANS will make submissions to the Standing Committee between 7 - 8 pm when they come to Vancouver on Monday, April 20th . The hearings will take place at the Trade and Convention Centre between 2 - 5:30 and 7 - 10 pm. Although the room only holds 200 people, please come to watch and listen. This is drama at it's finest and history in the making!
Please keep us strong, because it's really very challenging to face these obstacles. The costs to continue on always mount up. Your monthly/annual support means a great deal; you can, however, give a gift membership to a friend or family member, or consider that one-time donation again for this special time in history. A copy of the book 'Young Again' [$25 value] is still available as a free membership benefit at this time. Thank you!
Original signed by:
Lorna J Hancock
Pauline O'Sullivan
PS. For those not able to attend the Vancouver hearings, the Standing Committee will meet in Toronto on Wed, April 22, 1998, and in Montreal on Mon, April 27, 1998.