California Governor Signs Legislation
To Require Label
Warnings; Signs
CAM Bill


Prior to the ephedra developments mentioned above, California Governor Gray Davis had signed two bills to require label warnings on products containing ephedra. SB 1884 by Sen. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) requires that labels of dietary supplements containing ephedrine display specific warnings and the toll-free number for consumers to report adverse reactions. The legislation would also prohibit the sale of these products to individuals under 18 years old. The other bill, SB 1948 by Sen. Liz Figueroa (D-Fremont), a companion bill to SB 1884, will require warning labels on dietary supplements to be clear and conspicuous.
Lastly, SB 577, which was introduced by Sen. John Burton (D-San Francisco) in February, 2001, will go into effect January 1, 2003. SB 577 will allow access by California residents to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners who are not providing services that require medical training and credentials. The bill set out to change existing law that had prohibited persons who were not licensed physicians and surgeons from engaging in activities classified as the practice of medicine. This bill now allows CAM practitioners to offer their services without the risk of penalties and fines but they still cannot conduct surgery, administer or prescribe x-rays, recommend discontinuing medication prescribed by a physician, willfully diagnose or treat a person with a mental or physical condition that may way worsen the condition, prescribe drugs or controlled substances, set fractures, indicate, advertise or imply that he or she is a physician or surgeon or treat lacerations or abrasions through electrotherapy. When seeing patients, a California-based CAM practitioner must also tell his/her clients that he/she is not a licensed physician; that the therapy is an alternative to those licensed by the state and that CAM therapies are not licensed by the state. Clients must also state in writing that he/she has been provided with the above information prior to treatment.