URGENT WAKE-UP CALL - Government Regulating is Systematically Destroying this Country's Vibrant Natural Health Product Industry

Were you concerned about Bills C51 & C52? They shouldn't be amended - they need to be STOPPED. Constitutional lawyer and regulations expert Shawn Buckley, LLB, will explain how government regulations are tightening the noose around health freedoms and access to natural health products.

Monday, February 2nd, 7:00pm at St. Andrew’s-Wesley Church, 1022 Nelson Street at Burrard, Vancouver (please use Burrard Street entrance). Tickets:  $5 at the door. 

• The use of language to control public thinking  
• How regulations, developed for ‘safety and security’, could actually cause more harm than the products themselves
• The unfortunate results of a recent court case ruling, which sets a dangerous precedent for the majority of natural health products    becoming re-classified as available only through prescription

This year will determine the future of natural health products in Canada. Are you aware of the potential consequences of Natural Health Product Regulations? Read more at: http://nhppa.org

The sinister changes that Health Canada is determined to keep on systemically push forward, are central to the campaigning work of the NHPPA. However, as we focus on this un-democratic "protection" from our governmant, other major changes are affecting producers, distributors, retailers and the discerning and the unaware public. Since 2004 Health Canada’s Natural Health Products Regulations have forced over 20,000 products off the Canadian Market. Below is a list of U.S. companies whose products used to be sold in Canada prior to the 2004 implementation of the Natural Health Product regulations. Following a seven year process, in which the number one request of Canadians, by far, was that they wanted increased access to more natural health products, and in which NHP’s were supposed to have been given their own category, separate from either Foods or Drugs, Health Canada came out with the Natural Health Product Regulations. Not only did these regulations classify natural products as drugs without providing the new category, they were supposed to protect Canadians’ access to NHP’s. As is reflected in the list below, they have had the opposite effect. There are literally multiple thousands of products (20,000 plus), that Canadian stores can no longer get or sell.

Note that this list does not reflect the products that were lost when Canadian companies shortened their pricelist due to the cost of complying with the regulations, another hardship factor.

1. Solaray, Kal, and all other products produced by Nutraceutical Inc. –
Over 5000 products offered in their US pricelist. Some of the best products anywhere in North America. Sold in Canada for more than ten years when discontinued. Did everything Health Canada asked of them for 4 years before having their site license denied by Health Canada. Gave up in frustration as they couldn’t spend any more money on legal fees.

2. HerbPharm – producer of hundreds of herbal tinctures - sold in Canada for more than ten years when discontinued after the NHPD regs came into effect

3. Gaia Herbals – producers of hundreds of herbal tinctures – sold in Canada for more than 10 years when discontinued after the NHPD regs came into effect.

4. Allergy Research Products – over 650 extremely high quality natural products of all sorts – sold in Canada for more than ten years when discontinued. Will no longer ship to Canada.

5. Country Life – Hundreds of high quality natural products in tablets and capsules – sold for more than 10 years in Canada when discontinued because of the regulations

6. Source Naturals – 2300 products in two lines representing a full range of nutraceuticals. Will not ship to Canada period because of all the shipments held at the border.

7. Vitamin Research Products - 400 plus innovative, well researched products that are flagged and regularly denied entry at the border

8. Jarrow products – 600 plus well researched, high quality products. Submitted product license applications, but gave up in frustration with shipments being blocked at the border.

9. Herbasway – producers of green tea products – no longer available due to the regulations

10. Yogi Teas – these are just herbal teas – most are no longer available due to the regulations

11. Sweet Wheat – high quality wheat grass products – no longer available due to the regulations.

12. Bernard Jensen Products – available in Canada since the 1970’s –no longer sold due to the regulations.

13. Organic Essentials – organic tampons – disallowed because their applicator was considered a medical device by Health Canada.

14. Zand Herbals – hundreds of herbal products sold in Canada since the 1980’s – pulled out of Canada after the regs went into effect

15. Life Extension Products – hundreds of extremely well researched NHP’s no longer allowed into Canada for commercial sale

16. Dr. Christophers Original Formulas - 200 plus herbal formulas sold in Canada since the 1970’s. No longer available because of the regulations

17. Vaxa – no longer allowed across the border due to the regulations.

18. Robert Grey Cleansing products - Sold in Canada since the 1980’s – have pulled out of Canada due to the regulations

19. Natrol – over 1000 products. Sold in Canada until the regulations went into effect.

20. Houston Nutraceuticals – Enzymes used to improve digestion in kids. Available until the regulations came into effect. Then all commercial shipments refused entry

This is just a partial list of the products Canadian stores can no longer get, that they used to sell, prior to the regulations.

****There are dozens of long standing Canadian Distributors of NHP’s that are experiencing great economic hardship, because Health Canada is stopping their shipments at the Canada – U.S. Border, for any variety of reasons, These are mostly products for which product license applications have already been submitted.

In addition, when the regulations came into effect, almost every Canadian NHP supplier shortened their pricelist (sometimes dramatically), because of the cost involved in submitting the applications for licensing each product. This is a drug-style approval system that was never supposed to be applied to NHP’s, as per the Expert Advisory Committee, the Standing Committee on Health, and Parliament. They mandated that Health Canada should produce regulations that reflected the inherent safety and low risk levels of these products.
As you can see, they have done the opposite.
After losing this many safe products that Canadian consumers were used to, and are asking for, you can see why neither consumers, retailers, nor manufacturers have any faith that: “Bill C51 isn’t supposed to apply to natural health products”

from: http://nhppa.org