§ Mr. David Drew (Stroud)I am pleased to be able to present a petition against the powers of the Medicines Control Agency, which was signed by 262 people, most of whom are from my constituency.
The petition supports the views of Consumers for Health Choice, the Health Food Manufacturers Association, the National Association of Health Stores and others. It
Declares that Government proposals would give the Medicines Control Agency … virtually unlimited powers to classify safe products as medicines. This would mean that the MCA could remove at a stroke products that are vital to the good health of many consumers and are currently sold under food law. This is an abuse of the democratic process and a denial of freedom of choice.The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Department of Health to reconsider its proposals and to introduce an immediate moratorium preventing the MCA from declaring these safe products to be medicines except on the grounds of illegal claims or safety, and, further, to introduce new legislation appropriate to the special needs of safe, natural health products.To lie upon the Table.