Thesis

Health is wealth; health is the most important aspect of our lives. Without health, nothing else matters. Therefore, as a person who has resided in both hemispheres, it has become incumbent on me to attempt to rectify this issue because I have become acutely aware that the hemisphere that includes western Europe has been deprived of the ability to acquire quality vitamins, minerals, and herbs because they are deemed "drugs" whereas the western hemisphere is still able to obtain this quality which in and of itself indicates that herbs are not drugs at all.

Are we to allow governments to determine what we can have or not? This edition will address the right of people to buy what they know maintains a healthy life instead of allowing their government to determine their health. To that effort, this edition is devoted to the people of the entire world because our lives are being controlled by elite who desire to use their power to prevent us from obtaining what will allow us to live healthy lives until it is time for us to die naturally instead of at the hands of government.

In another section of this edition, the atrocities levied by the pharmaceutical industry are addressed, and the myth of marijuana is addressed as well. People need to understand that the word marijuana was used to give hemp a bad image. Marijuana is hemp. Hemp was legal in George Washington's day. Learn what and why it isn't legal any longer in this edition.

My gratitude is extended to Suzan Walter of the American Holistic Health Association for providing me with reports on the issue of health supplements. Thank you Suzan for your tireless effort to provide current information in the legislatures of various political entities regarding this issue. The European Union and European Community have successfully prevented people, whether citizens or not, from being able to obtain some minerals and all herbs while citizens of such countries as the United States and Canada can still obtain them. I know this from firsthand experience.

Norway, a member of the EC, absolutely forbade me from taking delivery of what I was able to obtain several months earlier in Canada. Norwegian Customs called the product that I ordered a "drug" when it arrived at its facility.

In my humble opinion, this is a major reason why people develop cancer at a relatively young age instead of living to grow old. I have learned of quite a number of people who have died prematurely of cancer in Norway instead of remaining alive to enjoy their lives because of products which the American and Canadian people take for granted.

It could be argued that the nuclear age affects people in western Europe, but this should cause governments to actually allow their residents to ingest herbs to counteract the effects of this phenomenon instead of preventing them.

Now, the powers that be want to prevent at least the American people from obtaining these products as well so the same phenomenon will prevail there that prevails in the EU and EC. Not only must we prevent this from happening there, we need to reverse this phenomenon in EU and EC countries.

We must not allow the elite to control the lives of the people as they are with the creation of AIDS and Ebola in Africa, we must not allow them to control the lives of anyone. Governments don't have that right.

Below is what has occurred in the recent past which affects the American people and the people in the European Union. The July 2005 official session report will be included in this edition.

* New bill in U.S. Senate proposes allowing purchase of dietary supplements with food stamps.

* July 2005 Codex Alimentarius Commission official session report now online.

* EU Food Supplements Directive August 1 ban avoided.

Important recent events with impact on dietary supplements:
* June 9 -- U.S. House/Senate voted to NOT withdraw U.S. from WTO
* June 30 -- CAFTA passed by U.S. Senate
* July 4 -- Codex Guidelines for Vitamin and Mineral Food Supplements finalized at Codex Alimentarius Commission session in Rome
* July 12 -- European Court verdict announced - upholds EU Food Supplements Directive but allows some modifications
* July 28 -- CAFTA passed by U.S. House of Representatives
* August 1 -- EU Food Supplements Directive August 1 deadline arrives without banning of thousands of products
* August 2 -- CAFTA signed by President Bush
* TBD -- FAO/WHO Nutrient Risk Assessment Expert Panel Report expected in August or September

Peace,

Arlene Johnson
Editor-In-Chief