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Showing posts with label CAMs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CAMs. Show all posts

Sunday 18 June 2017

Canada CAMS lost by 2004


Canada CAMS lost by 2004

This is the future we are looking at, despite the fact that Western drugs are causally linked to 125 thousand deaths and 2,2 million hospitalizations per year in the USA alone, yet Complimentary and Alternative Medicine products are legislated out of existence, but are good enough to form the basis of 53% (and growing as pharma run out of options) of all synthetic patent medicine made by companies that boast a criminal and civil penalty record second to none.

Partial documentation of products no longer available for domestic retail purchase in Canada since the 2004 implementation of Health Canada’s Natural Health Products Regulations.
"Not only did these Regulations classify natural products as Drugs without providing the unique category, they were SUPPOSED TO PROTECT Canadians’ access to NHP’s."

As currently happening in RSA, this had the absolute opposite effect:
http://www.citizensforchoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/NHPs-Lost-Due-to-Health-Canada-Regulations-updated-version-1.pdf


#TCAMS New Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines Laws in South Africa as of 1 June 2017



#TCAMS New CAMS Laws in South Africa as of 1 June 2017:


Ronald Gibson (15 June 2017):
And there you have it, for the notice of all the people in South Africa that many of us had warned since 2013, but took no notice. This includes those in the cosmetic trade, as well as home and cottage industry making affected hand made products, that thought I was crazy to say that they would sneak them in at the last minute. This is what happens when everybody sticks their heads in the sand, unwilling to support those that fight for their rights, sign a petition or write a measly letter to the minister of health. (Article link at bottom of blog.)

By December of this year, every product that falls under the definition of this corrupt Amendment and that has not applied for registration, may NOT be sold in South Africa, period. Not in shops, via private sale or on the internet. I assume that this cancels the call-up period that was supposed to end in 2019.

This effectively takes away your right to self determination of your health and cosmetic choices. It also means that by December this year, tens of thousands of people will lose their jobs and businesses as they cannot afford the utterly ridiculous costs associated with registration with an institution whose staff circulates the following article to pharmacists in the country, encouraging them participate as in Australia to set up a whistle blower system in order to report on each other if they should dare sell an unregistered CAMs product: "WHY DO PHARMACIES SELL CMS?" https://ajp.com.au/columns/opinion/pharmacies-sell-cms/.

You will now be totally at the mercy of pharmaceutical companies like Aspen and their ever willing, open handed prostitutes. But then again, that seems to have been your default, do-nothing choice.

The definition of "medicine" has been amended to read as follows:
"(a) Means any substance or mixture of substances used or purporting to be suitable for use or manufactured or sold for use in -
i. The diagnosis, treatment, mitigation, modification or prevention of disease, abnormal physical or mental state or the symptoms thereof in humans; or
ii. Restoring, correcting or modifying any somatic or psychic or organic function in humans; and
(b) Includes any veterinary medicine."
Please take note of the little sentence stating "Powers vested in SAHPRA include those to register products as one or more of a medicine, medical device, COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE, FOODSTUFF, COSMETIC or in vitro diagnostic medical device. To this end, amendments have been effected to section 14 of the Medicines Act, WHICH REQUIRE THAT ONLY REGISTERED PRODUCTS ARE ALLOWED TO BE SOLD in South Africa.

https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/2017-06-15-a-new-regulatory-br-regime-for-medicines-br-comes-into-force-in-sa/

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Monday 5 December 2016

INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS BILL (B6-2016) - Open Letter to Parliament, Selling Our Heritage to the highest bidder?


INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS BILL (B6-2016) - Open Letter to Parliament, Selling Our Heritage to the highest bidder?



For Attention: Ms. Shanaaz Isaacs

I hereby wish to notify you of my objection to the PROTECTION, PROMOTION, DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS BILL (B6-2016) in its present form.

During the drafting of this Bill, no participation that I know of was invited by the authors, and is clearly reflected in the wording and spirit of the Bill.

South Africa has more than 200,000 traditional healers of all races, tribes, modalities and social and financial standing that at present are the custodians of Indigenous Knowledge as described in this Bill. The uncertainty caused by the CAMs regulations promulgated in 2013 has already negatively impacted the industry, with these new proposals just adding to the situation.

At present the information is free to use for any person that has that knowledge, with many a lay person also having access to it and actively using it to improve their health or treat minor disease. These new proposed laws will take that freedom from the common man as well as the majority of practitioners, as, according to the wording of the Bill, only one legal entity will be able to claim ownership to such knowledge that may be in the public domain. So who will be the best to licence as owner of this knowledge? Will it be first come first served, or will it be the one willing to pay the highest price? What remedy will those have that have been using this free knowledge for generations, but now have to pay a licence fee for something they have used for generations?

As we do not know what the financial impact of the process may be, the potential exists that this process will be unaffordable, or the process might be inaccessible to those that stand to gain or lose by it, placing Government in the default position of ownership after 12 months.
It is this last fact that is of most concern as recent history has shown that severe malpractice may be possible in this knowledge being sold to the highest bidder, with the accompanying possibility of corruption. Taking this in conjunction with the drive of pharmaceutical companies in obtaining new compounds for drugs, and willing to commit techno piracy, this opens the field for immense corruption. As we all have seen in recent international civil and criminal courts, pharmaceutical companies put profits before people.

Africa and its people have suffered severe wrongs from being Colonized, and these laws will place our heritage in the position where it can also be Colonized for a huge fee, with the accompanying loss in use, or used at a price that supports Colonialism.

The South African Government has recently opened up a new facility that promotes Chinese Traditional Medicines under an International Agreement with China, which will result in the opening of several such centres across the country and a hospital in the Western Cape if my knowledge is correct. In my opinion this is the initiative that Africa and South Africa needs to follow. The Chinese actively encourage the development and expansion of their own traditional medicinal knowledge in a national sense, then actively support the export of the knowledge, products and facilities. An example of this is mentioned in the opening of the facilities in South Africa, as well as assisting their practitioners and products to be registered in Australia. The commercial value in trade of Chinese medicines in 2012 was estimated to be $83 Billion, and 2015 it reached $90 Billion. These numbers are based on the export of 600 base plants and 240,000 tons of exports.

The Potential of South African Herbal Medicines as Export Product
South Africa alone has over 30,000 flowering plant species of which many are used for medicinal purposes. Eight plant species have shown potential to treat high blood pressure. In our fresh water eco systems alone, 230 traditional medicinal plants have been listed. It is estimated that the population of South Africa uses 700,000 tons of herbal products.

If these resources can be explored in a sustainable way, and the people of South Africa are encouraged to participate in a constructive manner, the potential exists for the export value of our own Traditional Knowledge in medicines to exceed that of Chinese medicine, instead of selling the rights to foreigners or companies. In this manner all South African can benefit.

The knowledge of using natural sources and plants for medicinal purposes has been around as long as man has been walking the earth, and should not be subjected to ownership by anyone, or be patentable by anyone. This information should stay open source as this was given to us by nature and our Creator to use, and no government, corporation or legal entity should have the power to own it.

Kind regards

Ronald Gibson
05.12.2016




Tuesday 29 November 2016

INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS BILL (B6-2016) - Comments open until 15 December 2016

INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS BILL (B6-2016)


Ronald Gibson: So for those in the Natural Health trade that has that secret recipe or formula that you use in creating your products, or just use what is seen as general knowledge and good sense taken from indigenous and international natural health practices, now is the time to make your voice heard. If you are complacent and do not think this will come to pass or affect you, think again. Remember the ignored warnings regarding the declaring of CAMs products and modalities as medicines that fell on deaf ears, or elicited responses of conspiracy theory or plain denial that it will ever happen, with those same deniers now still sitting, waiting for others to fix the dilemma that could have been prevented? Now is the time to stand up and be counted.

Traditional & Natural Health Alliance
LEGISLATIVE NOTICE - The Portfolio Committee on Science and Technology invites you to submit written comments on the Protection, Promotion, Development and Management of Indigenous Knowledge Systems Bill [B6-2016]
The Bill seeks to:
 provide for the protection, promotion, development and management of indigenous knowledge systems;
 provide for the establishment and functions of the National Indigenous Knowledge Systems Office;
 provide for the management of rights of indigenous knowledge holders; to provide for the establishment and functions of the Advisory Panel on indigenous knowledge systems;
 provide for access and conditions of access to knowledge of indigenous and local communities;
 provide for the registration, accreditation and certification of indigenous knowledge practitioners;
 provide for the facilitation and coordination of indigenous knowledge systems-based innovation;
Comments can be emailed to Ms. Shanaaz Isaacs at shisaacs@parliament.gov.za by no later than Thursday, 15 December 2016.
Enquiries can be directed to Ms. Shanaaz Isaacs on tel (021) 403 3763 or cell 083 709 8536
Issued by Ms L Maseko, MP, Acting Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Science nd Technology.



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