Very good question. Lobby lobby money money money. Those priorities and influence come way above health.

Those diet supplements are bad news in many ways, and I am glad they recalled this one.

Why are you glad they recalled that diet supplement? Do you have knowledge that it is in fact harmful? If it is all about the money, is it not possible the diet supplement was recalled not because it posed an actual threat to anyone but only because the company that made it didn't have enough money to buy off the FDA?

Again, tobacco has been proved to be harmful and yet remains on the market. The only logical conclusion here is that the FDA does not exist to protect the public but rather to protect moneyed special interests.

Decent point, bad example.

The FDA simply does not have that power.

Supreme court ruled that the FDA couldn't regulate it, since it was neither a food or drug with any benefits.

Fast-forward to recently when the legislature drafted and passed a bill that grants the FDA certain powers over tobacco. However, the powers are limited to (if i recall correctly) nicotine levels, marketing, packaging and warnings of tobacco products.

I think flavors and raising the miniumn age were in the study phase and singled out as the next areas of likely restriction.

In short, the FDA still doesn't have the power to fully regulate or kill tobacco. The semi-good new is at this rate in about 25-50 years they will.

Thanks Thull, I was not aware of those Supreme Court decisions. Interesting that tobacco was deemed to be a drug without benefits. Most smokers and ex-smokers would say that tobacco has a calming effect when one feels stressed. People who are trying to keep their weight down find the stimulant effect of tobacco raises their metabolism.

I would say if the tobacco lobby was on one side and the FDA was on the other, the FDA had inferior lawyers who could not present the pints I made above or perhaps they just didn't try too hard? One doesn't bite the hand that feeds you.