Three U.S. Representatives Sign Joint Bipartisan Congressional Letter Directing the U.S. CODEX Office to Follow U.S. Law
The Natural Solutions Foundation's Medical Director, Rima E. Laibow, MD, announced that Congressional support is building to compel the U.S to follow its own laws in adopting policy and directing delegates to the CODEX ALIMENTARIUS Commission meeting in Rome next month.
(PRWEB) June 14, 2005 -- The Natural Solutions Foundation's Medical Director,
Rima E. Laibow, MD, announced that Congressional support is building to compel
the U.S. to follow its own laws in adopting policy and directing delegates to
the CODEX ALIMENTARIUS Commission meeting in Rome next month. Although the U.S.
has announced its intention to support the restrictive Vitamin and Mineral
Guidelines, members of Congress urged the U.S. to oppose or postpone the
adoption of the CODEX Vitamin and Mineral Guideline (VMG) since the US is
legally forbidden from harmonizing with any international law which violates
U.S. law. The VMG violation of the 1994 Dietary Supplements Health Education Act
(DSHEA). Under DSHEA, limits cannot be set on for nutrients which are treated as
foods, not drugs.
Representatives Ron Paul (R, TX), Dan Burton (R, IN)
and Peter DiFazio (D, OR) sent a joint Congressional Letter to the U.S. CODEX
Manager, Dr. Ed Scarbrough, demanding that he direct US Delegates to the 28th
CODEX ALIMENTARIUS Commission in Rome next month to oppose ratification of the
restrictive VMG. Their bipartisan letter noted that "the VMG… threatens our
rights and laws in serious ways. This standard represents a violation of the
significant protection offered to us in this country by laws like DSHEA and
similar statutes."
In their letter, the Congressmen joined in the
Natural Solutions Foundation's (http://www.HealthFreedomUSA.org) Citizen's Petition (http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/petition/petition.pdf)
submitted to the US. CODEX Office on June 1, 2005, and urge "the policy of the
United States in general, and your office and the CODEX Delegation in particular
to adopt policies and positions which are strictly in line with U.S. law
preventing harmonization with any international standard or guideline which is
in conflict with, or contradiction of, United States law…."
The Dietary
Supplement Health and Education Act - DSHEA - categorizes nutrients as foods as
such, they have no upper limits - and recognizes that individual health status,
age, toxic load, genetics, etc., will lead to varying nutrient needs throughout
the life span and between groups. By guaranteeing unrestricted access to a wide
variety of high potency nutrients, DSHEA, in effect, secured for Americans the
right to use nutrients and supplements to prevent, treat and cure chronic
degenerative diseases, prevent premature aging, and enhance their immune
functions.
The VMS would ban high potency nutrients since any
nutritional density higher than that found in food would be illegal with or
without a prescription. Developing countries are urged to adopt CODEX standards
as national law although countries with marginally nourished populations who
adopt this restrictive standard will face widespread death and
malnutrition.
Because CODEX erroneously considers nutrients to be
dangerous toxins, it has elected to determine permissible levels using the wrong
science - Toxicology. Toxicology is designed to protect people from dangerous
compounds. Toxicology uses "Risk Assessment" to determine the highest dose of a
substance which can be given while producing no discernable impact on a person.
After dividing that dose by 100, and subtracting an arbitrary contribution of
that nutrient by a mythical "average expectable global daily diet," a final
value which has no nutritional benefit is obtained. Risk Assessment does not, by
its very nature, consider benefits since toxins have none. These ultra low,
ineffective values comprise the Maximum Permissible Upper Limit (MPULs) of
permitted nutrients. All others will be forbidden as will higher dosages of
permitted nutrients. The proper science to apply to Dietary Supplements is the
science of Nutrition. Federal Courts have held that "DSHEA indicates that
Congress generally intended to harmonize the treatment of dietary supplements
with that of foods when it added the dietary supplement subsection..." (U.S.
District Court Judge Tena Campbell in Nutraceutical Corporatio, et al. v. Lester
Crawford, Acting Commissioner).
In 1997, the US passed Title 19, USC 3512
which specifically forbids harmonization by the U.S. with any standard which
violates U.S. law. Because of this law, any attempt to support the VMS is a
violation of U.S. law. The FDA specifically states that its policy is to accept
international standards, even if not completed, in preference to domestic
standards and to use every means to bring U.S. regulations and standards into
conformity with those international standards. This, and U.S. CODEX policy, is
illegal under current U.S. law.
A copy of the Citizen's Petition was
provided to the White House. However, White House comment was
unavailable.
The Citizen's Petition is available online at www.HealthFreedomUSA.org/petition/petition.pdf along with a
letter which can be faxed to join in the Citizen’s Petition. For addtional
information contact
Rima E. Laibow, MD
Medical Director
Natural
Solutions Foundation
914-271-6792
914-271-6720 fax
e-mail protected
from spam bots
# # #
Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb250895.htm