A new front on the drug war

[Antigen]

http://www.pittsburghpulp.com/content/2 ... lpit.shtml

Dietary Supplement Safety Act

A new front on the drug war


Emboldened by the Supreme Court validation of McCain-Feingold's "incumbent protection" decision, politicians have a green light to add free speech restrictions to the drug war arsenal. Jonathan Barnes reports how blatant government force now forbids federally funded transit authorities from displaying ads critical of government's drug war policy ("What you don't know could hurt you," Pulp, volume 2, issue 51).

Unfortunately, there's another looming assault on citizens by Congress that would potentially affect far more Americans than medical marijuana users. Senate bill S. 722 (the Dietary Supplement Safety Act) and House bill H.R. 3377 (the Dietary Supplement Access and Awareness Act) could change forever the health supplement industry for consumers and suppliers.

If enacted into law, bills like these would regulate common health supplements, taken daily by millions, and begin to treat them like prescription medicines.

What would that do? Raise prices. Make supplements difficult to obtain. Force legitimate suppliers out of business. Start a black market. Strengthen organized crime. Lead to an enforcement agency -- the Vitamin Enforcement Agency? -- and inevitable abuses. Create victimless criminals. Require more jails.

Sound familiar?

Bills like these are a prescription for poorer health and bigger government, but at a scale potentially larger than the drug war. I hope Americans tell their federal representatives to remove this tumor before it gets any bigger.

-- MARK CROWLEY
(Mark Crowley is an active Allegheny County Libertarian)

To make certain that crime does not pay, the government should take it
over and try to run it

--G. Norman Collie

[Cayo Hueso]

This is just going beyond ridiculous.  Now vitamins???  How long to we need to bang our heads against the wall???  The whole drug war is such a damn joke.  We've been trying to handle things the same way for how long now, 50+ years??  IT AIN'T WORKIN'.  But, hey, if we pour more money into it, ban more 'substances', make stiffer penalties,  THAT'll do it. :roll:

http://www.markfiore.com/animation/drugs.html

http://www.markfiore.com/animation/protect.html

Don't worry about temptation--as you grow older, it starts avoiding you.  
-- Old Farmer's Almanac

[Deborah]

So much for "freedom".
They will not stop until they have a monopoly on what people put into their mouths to relieve their ills.
They and their cronnies are invested in DRUG companies, not vitamin companies.

Cultural Mantra:  If it's not working, Do it more.