It seems as though some members of congress are still trying to push this bill forward despite the billions of Americans who are against it. Gee What else is new? Well For anyone out there who does not yet understand the bill in its entirety let me brake it down for you as simple as I can.

I will start by saying this. Injustice Should Not Be Tolerated!
There has been an extensive debate on whether the newly formed act pertaining to the restrictions laid on the use of dietary supplement should be permitted to pass or not. After a lot of research, it has become obvious that the act which was initiated by FDA was a sham and it was solely passed so as to fill the coffers of large drug manufacturing companies. Well, this is not at all right, is it? Of course it is not a just proposal and has been initiated simply because a few unscrupulous individuals want to generate a sizable income from it. Each and every individual as well as governmental and non governmental organization has the right to live in a free world but owing to unrealistic restrictions imposed on the sale of relatively harmless bodybuilding supplements, the entire scenario has changed and life has become exceedingly harsh for the small food supplement companies who make a simple living by providing the highest quality of muscle building supplement to the masses at a fraction of the original cost.

What Is S. 3002?
The S 3002 is a bill that has been forwarded to make the necessary changes to the food, cosmetic as well as the existing drug act so that the dietary act can be regulated in a more effective and efficient manner. This bill was introduced by Mr. McCain and Mr. Dorgan during the second cession of the 111th congress. The bill has then read twice over and then presented to the committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pension. The main agenda of the bill was to regulate and revise the existing acts so that consumers who were unaware of the potential safety risks attached to a particular food supplement could be spared of the wrath. This has also been cited as the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010.

The Dietary Supplement Act of 2010- A Real Bad Law
The bill in reality is a sham and needs to be amended at the very outset. In fact, it simply should never be allowed to be passed by the senate. The main purpose of this bill is to raise the prices of the dietary supplements so that the normal consumer cannot make use of them on a regular basis. If this bill is allowed to pass, the FDA has complete control over the supplements that you consume. In simple words, your freedom of choice would be compromised and you would not be allowed to consume what you feel like consuming. The main purpose of the bill is to squander tax revenues and burden the private sector with an increased cost pertaining to scientific research in manufacturing food items. It would simply make the existing dietary supplements expensive and the consumers would never really be able to use them as freely as they did in the past. One of the main reasons sited behind this bill is to safeguard the vested interest of the big pharmaceutical companies. As the government makes substantial profits from them, they always try and subdued the dietary supplement industry by tightening the noose around their neck. This bill is a complete sham because it is simply forcing the American public to use expensive medicines in the form of ‘prescription drugs’ and avoid using natural and inexpensive dietary supplements.
The bill was passed when it was found that basketball players participating in major basketball leagues had started using anabolic steroids to enhance their performance in the game. There were also talks regarding certain unethical companies which sold anabolic steroids claiming that it was a simple dietary supplement and this in turn duped the senate into believing that FDA should be given the right to control the manufacturing, supply as well as the certification of dietary supplements. The FDA has the right to remove all dietary supplements which are containing anabolic steroids from the market. Nonetheless, it needs to be noted that FDA failed in its job as there were numerous dietary supplement manufacturers who were selling prescription drugs openly. If the FDA has failed in the past, it may fail again and no matter how stringent the laws are the fact remains that supplement companies would continue to sell dietary supplements tainted with prescription drugs.
The main reason why this bill produced a worldwide outrage against FDA was because this authority has also decided to remove all the natural supplements that are readily available in the open market. Well, the million dollar question which arises after reading this fact is that why did the FDA not ban those companies which were illegally distributing prescription drugs in the open market when they have the authority to do so and why is FDA after those dietary companies which are indulged in producing natural supplements, which in turn are supposedly good for the human body.
The main problem is that the FDA is governed by large pharmaceutical organizations and hence, they try and intervene in the overall functioning of the FDA. Hence, it would not be difficult for these large pharmaceutical companies to control your jurisdiction with regards to the sale and ban of particular supplements. They would certainly try and create a monopoly through which they would continue to promote their own drugs and simply sideline others which are not under its banner. A classic example is the ban on Vitamin B6, a drug which was well suited for a particular pharmaceutical company so that it could use Vitamin B6 as an active ingredient in an expensive drug that was ideally used for treating diabetic kidney failure.
Once this bill is passed, pharmaceutical companies would have an open hand in filing patents and then taking over inexpensive dietary supplements before converting them into expensive medicines that could generate sizable profit in the longer run. A suitable example would be the fish oil prescription drug. It is supposedly priced seven times higher than the fish oil that is used in natural dietary supplements. Why would you want to pay seven times more for a simple EPA/DHA fish oil supplement when you can have it at a lesser price by consuming natural dietary supplements? Just imagine if the FDA has the power to ban omega3 and omega9 fish oil dietary supplements and replace them with exorbitantly priced prescription drugs containing the same ingredient. It would be a simple ‘rip-off’ and no one is going to be happy. The only individuals or entities that would be pleased would be the pharmaceutical companies manufacturing these expensive prescription drugs. After all, they would reap the desired profits from this deal.
The main purpose of passing the bill titled Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010 is to simply mislead the general public into believing that it is for their benefit. But in reality, it is just the opposite. The bill states that it protects the consumers and the ironic question which arises after reading this statement is that ‘what does it protect the consumers from?’ Interestingly, even the FDA does not have the answer to this question.
It is also very interesting to note that in accordance to the annual report published by the American Association of Poison Control Centers, it was ascertained that not even a single individual had died in the year 2008 after consuming dietary supplements. As a matter of fact, deaths arising from the consumption of dietary supplements are virtually non existent in the entire decade. On the contrary, there have been several million deaths recorded with regards to the consumption of prescription drugs which are manufactured rampantly by leading drug companies. Despite all this, the bill would provide legal rights to the FDA to go right ahead and prepare a list which would bifurcate supplements which can be allowed and those that need to be banned and all this would be solely based upon maximizing the profit margins of large drug manufacturing companies. Not only would that stop you accessing the dietary supplements of your choice, you would also suffer numerous other adverse consequences.
As there is simply no logic in the legislations, it would not be long before consumers would simply start protesting against this bill. At the same time, the bill has the power to classify any dietary supplement as adulterated. If the concerned dietary manufacturing company is not registered with the secretary, the FDA has a legal right to ban its products as and when it feels like by simply terming them as ‘adulterated content’. It is interesting to note that the manufacturers who are involved in producing dietary supplements have been known to follow the best practices. They are also known as ‘Good Manufacturing Practices’. So, why should they be made to spend exorbitant amounts of money in the form of overhead costs, so as to ensure that the whims of FDA are followed at all times? Ironically, all this seems to be a direct handiwork of large pharmacy companies who seek benefit from simply taking over the dietary supplement industry and using it as an immensely profitable venture which would last a lifetime.
If this act is allowed to pass, it would give rise to a new class of taxpayer aided bureaucrats who would then try and extend their monopoly by controlling the already weakened and overburdened dietary supplement companies. They would simply make use of the federal clout to execute their hideous plans. At the same time, the process of manufacturing dietary supplements would become exceedingly difficult if this bill is allowed to pass. One of the main reasons why this would happen is because in order to get a proper registration procedure in place, the concerned company would have to get their paperwork submitted to the desired FDA authorities and this process would need to be repeated for the formulation, re-formulation as well as the introduction of any new ingredient in the already present formula.
This is simply done so as to ensure that low costing dietary supplements are made to undergo rigorous paperwork, after which they would become costlier than most pharmaceutical drugs available in the open market. This is a planned strategy which is all set to ensure that the low costing dietary supplements are transformed into extremely expensive medications that are simply unaffordable by ordinary consumers. The registration requirements are simply burdensome and they are also voluminous in nature. The paperwork is also considered mandatory and it has to be submitted along with the fixed overhead fee to the FDA authorities. Thereafter, it is completely in the hands of the FDA to either approve or decline the application. At the same time, the FDA is also not obliged to furnish any reason for the same. Isn’t that unfair?
Once this bill is approved and the dietary supplement manufacturers are forced to pay exorbitant sums of money in a bid to get their supplements passed, there would be no scope for the introduction of a new dietary supplement in the market. Well, the reason for this is very simply-why would any supplement manufacturer like to pay an exorbitant fee in a bid to introduce a new dietary supplement in the market, especially when its chances of getting rejected are comparatively high? This is one of the main reasons why the chances of any new dietary supplement hitting the market would be simply nullified.
Once this happens and there is complete lack of new dietary supplements hitting the open markets, the pharmaceutical companies would get the right to simply control the entire drug market. They would enjoy this monopoly that has been executed to perfection by the FDA and this in turn would also ensure that they capitalize on this by maximizing their profits. At the same time, if any new dietary supplement does make it to the open market, the fact remains that it would be so expensive that most ordinary individuals would never really be able to afford it. Hence, instead of opting for the all natural, newly launched dietary supplements, consumers would prefer to buy ineffective pharmaceutical drugs, which in this scenario, would be less expensive.
In case there are any serious adverse reaction reports, the FDA requires that the manufacturing companies need to maintain proper records for the same. At the same time, all non serious adverse events would also need to be submitted to the Federal government and this in turn would prove to be immensely problematic to the concerned dietary supplement manufacturing company. One of the main reasons why this would prove problematic to the concerned company is because whenever a new dietary supplement is launched, it is automatically distributed and then consumed by a wide variety of individuals.
Once that happens, the dietary supplement is not merely limited to certain entities but is a product that is being used by all kinds of individuals who in turn belong to diverse backgrounds. Because of this very reason, the chances are that a few of these individuals may not like a particular dietary supplement, for reasons unknown and they may send in written complaints for the same. Owing to these handful of individuals, the newly launched product, which otherwise was being enjoyed by millions of relevant users, may come under the scanner of the FDA and may in turn be banned as well. Do you think this is fair? Well, I don’t think so!
This could also lead to a sabotage wherein the FDA may simply get a few written samples readied which clearly state that a particular product was unfit for human consumption. This in turn may simply force the newly launched dietary supplement to be banned for no apparent reasons. So, numerous possibilities can be formed when this act is passed, or is allowed to pass. This is not at all correct and should be stopped at the very outset. At the same time, most pharmaceutical companies using the freedom of information act, may simply seek the removal of a particular dietary supplement which they feel is a posing to be a direct threat to their already existing drugs.
The freedom of information act would be used by the large drug manufacturing companies to gather all the adverse reaction reports so that they can easily compile them and then submit them to the FDA department requesting the concerned officials to simply remove the newly launched dietary supplement from the market. This is unfair and is simply an act of ensuring that only those products which are manufactured by the pharmaceutical companies are made readily available to the concerned individuals, so that the large drug companies can make immense profit from the entire deal. This again is an unfair means of ensuring that the large drug manufacturing companies maintain their monopoly over the existing food supplement market.
It should be understood that there are millions of cases and reported claims that have categorically stated that prescription drugs have led to the death of individuals, which otherwise could have easily been avoided. These reports are on the files of the FDA but no actions has been taken against those pharmaceutical companies as yet and most drugs that were under scanner are still being widely distributed across the country. Isn’t that unfair and a clear example of a biased attitude adopted by the FDA? As a matter of fact, these drugs are never ever removed from the marketplace, let alone being banned despite repeated written complaints about them.
After this act is allowed to pass, the FDA would possess the rights to remove all the dangerous objects from the shelves of super marts as well as online shops. Even if a dietary supplement has been known to have a minor defect, it would be termed as a supplement which is under scanner and it can be removed from the shelves as and when the need arises. If this bill is passed, FDA would have the ability to exercise its tyrannical will over all the supplement manufacturing companies and it can either ban or approve one or more newly launched or existing supplements at its own discretion. This is a supreme power to exercise control over all the food manufacturing supplements and the FDA would never really shy from using this power as and when they please.
In the year 1990, the FDA had passed a law which stated that numerous supplements such as CoQ10, selenium and a few other harmless dietary supplements were supposed to be harmful for human consumption and were therefore banned from being used as active ingredients in dietary food supplements. When the public revolted against this ban as it was simply uncalled for, this led to the induction of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. This took place in the year 1994. This is actually a law which permits individuals using low costing dietary supplements to maintain their existing doses and this also saves these individuals to get into unwanted trouble through the means of FDA agencies. If the Dietary Supplement Safety Act is allowed to pass, then the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act would be simply defenseless against it.

Here Is the True Story
The main reasons behind the initiation of the bill, as discussed before, is the fact that most pharmaceutical companies want that they should be making immense profit while leaving behind the low costing and at times more effective dietary supplement. This can be better explained through the mean of this example. Just imagine that you awe a large pharmaceutical company and you are primarily indulged in producing a particular expensive medicine, which is used for treating a specific body part. This also helps you in reaping the desired profits on a regular basis. What would happen if you find out that a low costing dietary supplement has proven to be much better than your existing medicine and is being preferred by people from all walks of life? Well, you would be simply irate and would do all that you can within your powers to try and ensure that the newly launched product is done away with. You would use the hook or crook methodology for the same.
As you simply cannot patent the product but you have substantial control over the congress, you would automatically try and ensure that you influence your powerful friends and convince them to move a petition which enables you either get a patent right for the newly launched dietary supplement or influence the FDA, which again you partly own, to remove the newly launched product from the market. The main purpose of the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010, is to simply try and make sure that the large pharmaceutical companies maintain their monopoly in the open market at all times. Not only would this bill ensure that the big pharmaceutical companies maintain their stronghold in the medicine market, it would also ensure that no new dietary supplement gets a chance to get a breakthrough in the open market.
The biggest problem we face, in terms of economic crisis, is the creation of ‘health care’, when in reality; there is no real need for the so called expensive ‘health care’ facilities. One of the main reasons why health care is so over priced and expensive is because it has been over regulated in the most corrupt fashion that you can think off. There is also a myth regarding the term, ‘disease care cost’ and in reality there is no such term as this and it is simply hyper inflated to suit the needs of the large pharmaceutical companies across the United States. In reality, ‘disease care cost’ can be easily taken care off through the means of using simple, affordable and effective, dietary supplements. Hence, the drugs which are available in the open market are highly overpriced and sold primarily to reap profits.
If you really want to get more information regarding the malpractices which this bill could lead to if it is allowed to pass, then you should read the book titled FDA Failure, Deception and Abuse. It clearly shows just how the congress plans to simply wipe out the existing low cost dietary supplement industry and replace it with expensive prescription drugs so that the large pharmaceutical companies could reap the desired profits. While the profits of the large drug manufacturing companies would increase four folds once this bill is allowed to pass, the country’s economy would simply crash as there is no real need for such expensive medications when the disease can be cured using low costing alternate therapies and dietary supplements that have no adverse side effects attached.
It is really ironical when we delve into the depths of the bill and realize that the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010, is in reality a sham and is primarily meant to reap profits for the pharmaceutical companies and it has got nothing to do with trying to protect the general public from substandard supplements. One of the main reasons cited behind this act is that the FDA as well as the congress simply would like to protect the existing drug cartel as it has been paying most of their bills and helping them lead luxurious lives.
The act is a clear indicator of how the congress openly discriminates against private sector innovations and undermines the success and even the mere existence of the upcoming free markets. The good news is that the existing numbers of dietary supplement users are quite substantial and they would certainly fight for their rights.

The Real Story In Brief:
What File?
At the very outset, it needs to be noticed that the suppliers as well as the retailers would be required to obtain the required written evidence which in turn would be provided by the FDA in order to start manufacturing a dietary supplement. Ironically, the paperwork that is being designed by the FDA may change from time to time and may also be used in differently or rather prepared differently for different dietary supplement manufacturers. The so called ‘evidence’, then needs to be saved in a special file and made available for inspection as and when required by the FDA.

What Ingredient List?
Ironically, the pre DSHEA test would now be replaced with a list of ingredients that need to be adhered to while formulating a new dietary supplement. This is also termed as the ‘Accepted Dietary Supplement’ list.
New Laws against Active Ingredients
It is interesting to note that the new dietary ingredient list is considered to be useless unless it has a history of use and also a suitable evidence to back its safety in terms of human consumption. This list would have to be once again maintained in a separate file and displayed to the concerned authorities seventy five days prior to the release of the product.
The Recall Procedure
If the product has been deemed harmful for human consumption and is stated to cause harm to the human body as per the jurisdiction of the FDA guidelines, it can be recalled and banned from being sold in the open market. At the same time, it needs to be noted that the concerned brand of supplement needs to send out reminders to the consumers with regards to such recalls and all this needs to be taken care off at their personal expense. The concerned dietary company also has a right to challenge the FDA ban through the means of an ‘informal hearing’, within a time span of 10 days.
The Annual Registration
The dietary supplement manufacturers are now supposed to register with the secretary on an annual basis and provide an extensive list of their address, trade name, list of the ingredients used in dietary supplements as well as the labels required. This needs to be followed up with a hefty annual fee.
Reasons Why This Bill Is Not Right
While we have discussed in detail the main reasons why the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010 is being proposed by the congress as well as the FDA and we have also come to the conclusion that the bill, if passed, would have adverse repercussions for consumers. Let us now discuss in brief the main reasons why this bill is supposed to be harmful for the consumers as well those individuals who would like to get treated in a holistic manner.

1. The Bill Is Simply Unfair
The first reason why this bill should not be allowed to pass is because it is simply unjust and unfair. While there have been numerous instances wherein people from all walks of life have complained regarding the passing of the bill, very few are actually aware that this bill is in reality a restriction on the basic rights of human beings. In simple words, the Dietary Supplement Act of 2010 would impose strict restrictions on the purchase of dietary supplements, which in turn would ensure that you would never really be able to purchase the holistic supplements from the open market. While there was a time when you could use simple weigh proteins for building your body but after this bill is passed, you would not be able to purchase a simple body building supplement from an online store.

2. It Is Completely Biased
The second reason why this bill is supposed to be unfair is because it is biased in its opinion. In simple words, the bill has been initiated by the selfish pharmaceutical companies who simply want to try and ensure that they have a complete monopoly over the drug market. Now their plea is being backed by the FDA as well as the congress and the reason why they are aiding the big drug companies is because the pharmaceutical companies pay them a hefty fee, which in turn helps them run their stores and enjoy lavishing lifestyles.

3. It Is Not Acceptable
The third reason why the Dietary Supplement Act of 2010 needs to be squashed at the outset is simply because, it is not acceptable and just in its approach. In simple words, once the act is passed, the dietary supplement manufacturers would not have the ability to produce and then launch new products as and when they feel the need to do so. This is simply because it would not be permitted by the FDA.

4. The Overhead Expenses Are Skyrocketing
The fourth reason why this bill needs to be stopped is because it is going to be very expensive for the dietary supplement manufacturing companies. This is so because if the bill is approved, the FDA would impose heavy fee in terms of annual registration charges and they would also try and ensure that the dietary supplement manufacturers have to pay exorbitant amounts of money while trying to either introduce a new product or promote an existing product in the open market. The fee is so high that it would force many small dietary supplement manufacturing companies to either shut shop or seek alternate business opportunities. This would be certainly a huge setback for numerous supplement manufacturing companies.

5. The Consumers Would Have No Options
Another disadvantage of passing this bill would be the fact that the consumers would be left with no options whatsoever in trying to get their hands on alternate supplements. It so happens that the bill would simply shut shops for many small dietary supplement manufacturing companies and would impose such strict restrictions on those that are still functioning that the manufacturers would be forced to stop creating new dietary supplements.

7. The Price Would Be Too Step
Once the overhead cost involved in the manufacturing of dietary supplements increases, the individuals who are involved in the manufacturing process would be forced to increase the prices of their supplements. In fact, the once low-priced dietary supplements would become exceedingly expensive and people would be simply forced to opt for other options. These other options would be none other than prescription drugs marketed by large pharmaceutical companies. So, this bill is in reality a systematic approach towards culling the low priced dietary supplement industry.

8. Lack of Transparency
The eighth reason why the bill titled Dietary Supplement Act Of 2010 needs to be squashed is because it does not have any sort of transparent plan. In simple words, the acts as well as the regulations are all decided upon by the concerned FDA official and the word of mouth states that the FDA may have different written agreements with different dietary supplement manufacturing companies. Owing to this very reason the fact remains that there is no fixed rule in place and that the FDA can exercise its legal right in whichever manner it feels appropriate. This is also one of the main reasons why dietary supplement manufacturing companies would never really be able to decide upon a plan of action to either make changes in their existing supplement or during the introduction of a new dietary supplement.

9. The Freedom of Choice
Last but not the least, the Dietary Supplement Act of 2010 would simply curb the freedom of choice. In simple terms, if this bill is allowed to pass, consumers would not be able to purchase those dietary supplements which they had become habitual to. In fact, they would never really be able to get hold of simple, effective as well as affordable supplements which had helped them develop their physique and they would also never really be able to understand the real reason why the same supplement is unavailable for their personal use. In reality, the freedom of choice would be taken away from the consumer’s hands if this bill is allowed to pass in the senate. At the same time, the manufacturing companies dealing in dietary supplements would be left with no other options but to seek an alternate business strategy in a bid to survive this cut throat competition. At the end of it all, there would be no dietary supplements left in the market and people would have to make do with over priced prescription drugs that would reap immense profits for the large pharmaceutical companies.
If you are really keen to avoid burning a hole in your pocket, you simply need to click here and send an alert to the two senators as well as the members of the senate so as to ensure that they are kept in the loop and are made aware of the fact that the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010 is nothing but a sham and that it needs to be stopped from being passed at all costs.

http://www.lef.org/featured-articles/Dietary-Supplement-Safety-Act-of-2010.htm

http://www.citizens.org/?p=1899

http://www.citizens.org/?p=1893

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=3772

http://mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressOffice.Speeches&ContentRecord_id=952dda07-b71c-4034-4f34-c38974978f7d

http://www.thenhf.com/press_releases/pr_04_feb_2010.html