|
Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
|
|
MAPE: ART: Ireland: Greens Want End To Herbal Remedy Curb
Derek Scally The Irish Times
Saturday 04 Nov 2000 Return-Path: Received: from tele-punt-22.mail.demon.net ([194.217.242.7]) by shuggie.demon.co.uk with SMTP id <09N64KIHyTB6Awlh@shuggie.demon.co.uk> for Received: from punt-2.mail.demon.net by mailstore for shug@shuggie.demon.co.uk id 973345706:20:11961:0; Sat, 04 Nov 2000 13:48:26 GMT Received: from shaman.lycaeum.org ([207.246.130.130]) by punt-2.mail.demon.net id aa2011806; 4 Nov 2000 13:48 GMT Received: (from majordom@localhost) by shaman.lycaeum.org (8.10.0/8.10.0) id eA4Dm2H71766 for mape-outgoing; Sat, 4 Nov 2000 05:48:02 -0800 (PST) X-Authentication-Warning: shaman.lycaeum.org: majordom set sender to owner-mape@@legalize.org using -f Message-Id: X-Sender: cclub615@gpo.iol.ie (Unverified) X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.0 Date: Sat, 04 Nov 2000 13:40:29 +0000 To: mape@legalize.org From: Martin Cooke Subject: MAPE: ART: Ireland: Greens Want End To Herbal Remedy Curb Cc: editor@mapinc.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Sender: owner-mape@@legalize.org Precedence: bulk Reply-To: mape@legalize.org Newshawk: Martin Cooke Source: The Irish Times Copyright: 2000 The Irish Times Pubdate November 3, 2000 Contact: lettersed@irish-times.ie (backlog) Fax: ++ 353 1 671 9407 Mail: Letters to Editor, The Irish Times, 11-15 D'Olier St, Dublin 2, Ireland Website: http://www.irish-times.ie/ Author: Derek Scally The Irish Times Friday, November 3, 2000 Greens Want End To Herbal Remedy Curb By Anne Byrne (abyrne@irish-times.ie) The restriction on the herbal remedy, St John's wort, should be lifted and a regulatory body for complementary medicines established, according to the Green Party. Mr John Gormley TD said the Green Party would "seek the creation of a new minister of State post for complementary and preventative medicine in any future government". He was speaking at a protest outside the Irish Medicines Board's offices yesterday in Dublin. Mr Gormley and fellow Green Party TD Mr Trevor Sargent handed out pot plants of the St John's wort herb to the public. "Today, we are highlighting the absurdity of this ban which prevents many thousands of people living in the Republic from buying this relatively cheap and effective herbal remedy for mild depression," Mr Gormley said. People could grow their own St John's wort, make their own tincture and consume it yet it was banned in our health stores, he said. "The IMB has behaved like a Gestapo, carrying out raids on unsuspecting and law-abiding health stores and herbalists and even going as far as confiscating private patients' records. Their behaviour is over the top and unacceptable." St John's wort is available by prescription only since January 1st this year, following a report by the Irish Medicines Board which favoured the curb. Earlier this month the IMB defended its recommendation to limit the herb. In the board's annual report for 1999, chief executive Mr Frank Hallinan said the board took the decision solely to protect public health. "The widespread availability and irresponsible advertising of St John's wort as `nature's Prozac' created a major public health concern for the board," he said. Possible side-effects included hyper-sensitivity to sunlight and gastrointestinal problems. There were also potential reactions with other medications such as the contraceptive pill, he added. Of 993 requests to the IMB for documentation on the herb under the Freedom of Information Act in 1999, 951 were from members of the public. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Legalize! Initiative is the international action forum for all people concerned about the effects of current drug policy. Join us at http://www.legalize.org. The mape@legalize.org list supports the Media Awareness Project Europe. To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to majordomo@legalize.org, with unsubscribe mape as text of the message. --------------------------------------------------------------------------
After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.
|
This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.
Feel free to link to this page!