And now, the news

[figmo]

Two California lawmakers want to ban items that have been widely available for decades.

A San Francisco-based public interest lawyer wants to ban Oreos.

Meanwhile, State Senator Jackie Speier has gotten the state's Senate to ban Ephedra, the only oral decongestant left on the market (pseudoephedrine, aka "Sudafed," is derived from Ephedra).

In other news, Microsoft and BMW have announced a new computer-controlled BMW 7-series car, and officials in Thailand have reported its first malfunction.

Comments

[poltr1]

A few years ago, someone here in Ohio tried to ban ephedra because a 17-year old weightlifter overdosed and died, his mother went to the state legislature, and the people were swayed by emotion. I thoguth I heard that the ban was overturned, but I could be wrong.

Ephedra is great stuff, when used in small quantities. It's great for asthma sufferers. To the best of my memory, it's one of the active ingredients in Traditional Medicinal's "Breathe Easy" tea. (Unless they've since replaced it with pseudoephedrine.) But it's also dangerous stuff, especially if taken in large doses. People shouldn't be taking it unless they know what they're doing. Just because something is all-natural doesn't mean it's safer than something synthetic or man-made. Snake venom is all-natural, too.

And I guess we'll be seeing a warning label on Oreos now.

[figmo.livejournal.com]

Ephedra is the active ingredient in "Breathe Easy" tea. My ENT/Allergist prescribed ephedra tea for my sinus condition.

I hope the ban was overturned in Ohio, and hope it doesn't succeed here.

[hellloooonurse.livejournal.com]

That poor excuse for a lawyer dropped the lawsuit. I've been eating them for *years* and they haven't effected me in the slightest :)