Natural health products (NHPs) are far safer than food, and are demonstrably safer than prescription drugs. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada there are, on average, 240 deaths per year from food related illnesses, and 10,000 deaths from pharmaceuticals per year… versus zero deaths attributed to NHPs.
Pharmaceuticals are far more highly regulated than NHPs, yet are a leading cause of death, even when properly prescribed and properly taken. More regulation ensures neither safety, nor efficacy.
Health Canada says their recent initiatives, including Bill C-47, will help them use a more “risk-based approach” to governing NHPs. Yet with zero deaths in 68 years, what justified “risks” are they referring to? Of course, mandatory Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) are a good idea, but WE ALREADY HAVE THIS… and much more!
This following quote comes directly from Health Canada’s web page titled About Natural Health Product Regulations in Canada:
“All NHPs must have a product license before they can be sold in Canada. To get a license, applicants must give detailed information about the product to Health Canada, including: medicinal ingredients, source, dose, potency, non-medicinal ingredients and recommended use(s). Once Health Canada has assessed a product and decided it is safe, effective and of high quality, it issues a product license along with an eight-digit Natural Product Number (NPN) or Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM), which must appear on the label. This number lets you know that the product has been reviewed and approved by Health Canada”.
It’s unscientific and illogical to suggest that NHPs require further safety measures. So what’s really going on? Is this simply OVER-regulation? Health Canada’s “Self-Care Framework” may sound nice, but in reality, these initiatives are going to reduce Canadians’ access to NHPs, resulting in LESS self-care based on personal responsibility, and MORE government spending adding to the country’s public healthcare crisis.
