Ephedra Banned

After years of debate and many deaths and other health problems, the United States today will ban the sales of the dietary supplement ephedra. This move is a welcome one, but long overdue. Many other countries, and even individual states, as well as many sports leagues and the International Olympic Committee long ago banned the use of ephedra, citing health concerns. However, the Unites States government moved very slowly, thanks to the ephedra lobby and their obfuscation of scientific research on the subject; and also because of our laws which do not require dietary supplements to be proven safe before they can be marketed (unlike drugs, which have to be proven safe according to US law, and unlike Australia and other countries, which require proof of safety and efficacy for both drugs and dietary supplements/natural remedies). It’s time for the United States to put a little more effort into assuring the safety of products listed as dietary supplements or natural remedies.