Thousands of times a day we are forced to hear ads from the major drug companies claiming that their latest drug is a ‘miracle product.’ The laws require that possible side effects are revealed at the end of the ad. They range from nausea and joint pain to severe repercussions including death. How did these dangerous pharmaceuticals receive FDA approval? Then, months later, when the majority of these drugs have resulted in serious medical problems or death, they undergo litigation resulting occasionally in millions of dollars of damages awarded to the victims.

The large pharmaceutical companies have little concern regarding these lawsuits. They have already made billions of dollars in profit; a few million has little effect on their bloated profits.

The FDA is complicit in this process. Why do they approve drugs which are harmful in long term use? How can they allow these large corporations to charge prices which are far higher than the cost to produce them? Why is the FDA protecting the rights of drug companies over the general public which is its only reason for existence?

A perfect example of complicity between the FDA and corporations is Monsanto. Monsanto was the manufacturer of “Agent Orange.” It claimed that this defoliant would not harm humans. We now know that this was a blatant lie. Today they are the creator of GMOs.

First of all, the public must understand the truth about how GMOs came to exist. It was not created to expand the world’s food supply, as claimed by the chemical giant.

Monsanto’s best-selling product is its herbicide, ‘Roundup.’ After years of use, weeds which grew among crops became resistant to the weed killer and continued to flourish.

Monsanto re-created Roundup. However, tests proved that it would also kill the crops. Along came the invention of GMOs. GMOs made the crops resistant to Roundup.

60 nations around the world, including Europe, Australia, and Japan, have either banned the use of GMOs or at the minimum require the labeling of products manufactured with their use. Their scientists have concluded that long term use of GMOs is harmful to human beings.

So why has the FDA approved GMO use in our nation? It claims that tests were conducted, and they are safe for human consumption. Guess who it contracted to test GMOs; Monsanto.

In addition to the dangers of consumption, water runoff from the fields contains the stronger and more dangerous version of Roundup. It is polluting our streams and rivers.

The FDA must undergo a comprehensive investigation and restructuring. It no longer protects the public, it protects corporations.

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

Photo Courtesy of Mike Mozart

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