whitenight639
20-09-2009, 12:19 PM
The call for Statutory Regulation (SR) was started by a small group of herbalists, who have professed that Herbal Medicines are
dangerous and the public need protection through statutory regulation, that such proposals would assure public safety. We have set up
this petition to challenge and oppose the governments current proposals and the new Traditional Medicines Licensing laws (enacted due
to EU Directive) which will radically alter the way Herbal Medicine is practised, and herbs are accessed.
The main threats are as follows:
1. "Report to Ministers from the Department of Health Steering Group on the Statutory Regulation of Practitioners
of Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine and other traditional medicine systems practised
in the UK (May 2008)". This report suggests that practitioners of Herbal Medicine should be regulated by the Government to ensure
public safety. However the Health Minister stated in late 2007 that "The Dept of Health has not carried any surveys about deaths
and serious harm due to herbal or natural medicines". We can be sure that it would have carried out such a survey, if there was
actually any problem with herbal or natural medicines. Herbal Medicine has an excellent record of safety. This is supported by the low
levels of professional indemnity insurance premiums paid by herbal practitioners compared with those paid by practitioners of other
forms of medicine. We cannot in fact see why the Steering Group's proposals, which in effect say that herbal practitioners are potentially
dangerous and that they must be statutorily regulated, have not already been ruled out, considering what is written in the Dept of
Health's document 'Trust, Assurance and Safety - The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st century' (Feb 2007), which says
"The Government believes that these professionals should also be subject to a system of regulation that is proportionate to the
risks and benefits entailed". With no risk-analysis having been carried out, it is difficult to see why the Steering Group's proposals for
SR are still even on the table.
2. Changes to Section 12(1) of the 1968 Medicines Act. Currently herbalists have protection to prescribe herbal medicines under
this Act. However if the current proposals for regualtion go ahead only practitioners who sign the statutory register can prescribe herbal
medicines. These proposals would make it illegal for anyone not on the register to provide traditional herbal medicines to another
person or call themselves herbalists.This constitutes a protection of function. If implemented, then practitioners such as aromatherapists,
homeopaths and naturopaths etc would not be able to prescribe herbs. For the public, imagine a situation where it was illegal to treat
your own children using herbal medicines you had grown in your own garden, because you were not on the Statutory Register.
3. European Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (THMPD). This directive comes from the EU, now UK law,
and comes into full force in April 2011. It is set to take the place of Section 12(2) of the 1968 Medicines Act. This states that all
"over-the-counter" herbal medicines sold in shops must have a Traditional Medicines License by 2011. This would significantly add to
the prices of "over-the-counter" herbal medicines, probably at least doubling them, as producers are forced to pay the new product
licence fees. Traditional Herbal Medicines will be wiped from the shelves due to the expense of licensing, leaving only the commercially
produced, often non-traditional herbal medicines produced by large companies (often pharmaceutical). This is absurd, as many of these
herbs can be sold unlicensed as foods, have been available to purchase for thousands of years and many people have access to herbs
growing freely in gardens and the surrounding countryside.
In summary
The powers-that-be have no right to restrict the entitlement of the people of the UK to continue to use herbal medicines in the way that
they currently do.
In the UK we have a unique position, different from any other European country, in our freedom of access to both the herbal medicines
themselves and the services of herbal practitioners.
We must not allow the European Union to determine what system of medicine the people of this country are permitted to use.
Please sign the petition which can be found here (http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/support-herbal-medicine.html)
dangerous and the public need protection through statutory regulation, that such proposals would assure public safety. We have set up
this petition to challenge and oppose the governments current proposals and the new Traditional Medicines Licensing laws (enacted due
to EU Directive) which will radically alter the way Herbal Medicine is practised, and herbs are accessed.
The main threats are as follows:
1. "Report to Ministers from the Department of Health Steering Group on the Statutory Regulation of Practitioners
of Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine and other traditional medicine systems practised
in the UK (May 2008)". This report suggests that practitioners of Herbal Medicine should be regulated by the Government to ensure
public safety. However the Health Minister stated in late 2007 that "The Dept of Health has not carried any surveys about deaths
and serious harm due to herbal or natural medicines". We can be sure that it would have carried out such a survey, if there was
actually any problem with herbal or natural medicines. Herbal Medicine has an excellent record of safety. This is supported by the low
levels of professional indemnity insurance premiums paid by herbal practitioners compared with those paid by practitioners of other
forms of medicine. We cannot in fact see why the Steering Group's proposals, which in effect say that herbal practitioners are potentially
dangerous and that they must be statutorily regulated, have not already been ruled out, considering what is written in the Dept of
Health's document 'Trust, Assurance and Safety - The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st century' (Feb 2007), which says
"The Government believes that these professionals should also be subject to a system of regulation that is proportionate to the
risks and benefits entailed". With no risk-analysis having been carried out, it is difficult to see why the Steering Group's proposals for
SR are still even on the table.
2. Changes to Section 12(1) of the 1968 Medicines Act. Currently herbalists have protection to prescribe herbal medicines under
this Act. However if the current proposals for regualtion go ahead only practitioners who sign the statutory register can prescribe herbal
medicines. These proposals would make it illegal for anyone not on the register to provide traditional herbal medicines to another
person or call themselves herbalists.This constitutes a protection of function. If implemented, then practitioners such as aromatherapists,
homeopaths and naturopaths etc would not be able to prescribe herbs. For the public, imagine a situation where it was illegal to treat
your own children using herbal medicines you had grown in your own garden, because you were not on the Statutory Register.
3. European Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (THMPD). This directive comes from the EU, now UK law,
and comes into full force in April 2011. It is set to take the place of Section 12(2) of the 1968 Medicines Act. This states that all
"over-the-counter" herbal medicines sold in shops must have a Traditional Medicines License by 2011. This would significantly add to
the prices of "over-the-counter" herbal medicines, probably at least doubling them, as producers are forced to pay the new product
licence fees. Traditional Herbal Medicines will be wiped from the shelves due to the expense of licensing, leaving only the commercially
produced, often non-traditional herbal medicines produced by large companies (often pharmaceutical). This is absurd, as many of these
herbs can be sold unlicensed as foods, have been available to purchase for thousands of years and many people have access to herbs
growing freely in gardens and the surrounding countryside.
In summary
The powers-that-be have no right to restrict the entitlement of the people of the UK to continue to use herbal medicines in the way that
they currently do.
In the UK we have a unique position, different from any other European country, in our freedom of access to both the herbal medicines
themselves and the services of herbal practitioners.
We must not allow the European Union to determine what system of medicine the people of this country are permitted to use.
Please sign the petition which can be found here (http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/support-herbal-medicine.html)