On November 9, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) and seven other members of Congress introduced the Health Freedom Protection Act (H.R. 4282) to prevent the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from censoring information about dietary supplements. 

According to The Liberty Committee, “In 1994, the U.S. Congress ordered the FDA to let the public have access to scientific articles and publications on the role of nutrients in disease by passing the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA)....Yet, censorship by the FDA goes on!”  That is why H.R. 4282 was introduced and is being pushed by a coalition of some 50 companies and organizations.

Congressman Paul explains that the Health Freedom Protection Act specifically will: (1) stop the FDA from censoring truthful claims about dietary supplements; (2) stop the FDA from prohibiting the distribution of scientific articles and publications regarding the role of nutrients in protecting against disease; and (3) address the FTC’s violations of the First Amendment.

In a related matter, Emord & Associates, a law firm specializing in constitutional and administrative law, has started a national petition campaign to end the FDA’s and FTC’s violations of the First Amendment.  The FDA and FTC violate free speech by trying to control what is communicated about nutrient-disease associations, according to the firm.  It has drafted a petition to protest suppression of this health information and hopes to present Congress more than a million signatures by January 1, 2006.

Sources:

• “Free Speech and Dietary Supplements,” by Congressman Ron Paul, November 16, 2005: www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul288.html
• “Health Freedom Protection Act” (H.R. 4282). To read the complete bill, visit the congressional legislative database and search for bill number H.R. 4282: http://thomas.loc.gov
• The Liberty Committee: www.thelibertycommittee.org
• Emord & Associates: www.emord.com