Ephedra Side Effects
Davis Signs Bill Banning Sale of Ephedra-Based
Pills
October 13, 2003
Governor Gray Davis signed legislation late Sunday night,
making California the third state to ban sales of ephedra-based diet
pills. Many medical professionals blame diet pills containing ephedra
for increased risk of stroke, seizure, and heart attack. Last year,
California was one of several 
states
to require consumer warnings on dietary supplements containing ephedra,
and now joins New York and Illinois in instituting a ban.
The California law takes effect in January, preceding possible federal action,
although the FDA is currently considering new restrictions. Since ephedra is
derived from a naturally occurring herb, and the diet pills are classified
as food supplements, the FDA has been bound by a 1994 law limiting the power
the FDA has to regulate ephedra. The FDA's interest in ephedra was provoked
to an extent by the death of Baltimore Oriels pitcher Steve Belcher, whose
heatstroke was linked to ephedra supplements.
Gov. Davis' signing of the bill is part of his reversal of position on this
issue. In 2000, Davis vetoed a bill that would have required a warning label
of ephedra products. At the time, he had received $100,000 in campaign contributions
from Metabolife, a major manufacturer of ephedra products based in California.
Last year, Davis signed the warning-label bill after Metabolife was the subject
of a federal investigation about withholding of 13,000 reports about problems
with their products.
In 2000, a study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, linking
ephedra to seizures, strokes, and fatal heart attacks. The study was conducted
by researchers who examined 140 cases of health problems and found a direct
link between the product and one third of the cases. Several athletic organizations,
including the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the International Olympic
Committee, and the National Football League, have all banned ephedra-based
products.
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