Illinois § 5

§ 5.

Findings. The General Assembly finds the following: (1) Over 3 billion servings of ephedra are consumed by Americans each year. (2) Ephedra, or ma huang, has been associated with a wide range of severe adverse events, including death. (3) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received over 18,000 reports of adverse reactions by ephedra users, including strokes, seizures, heart attacks, and deaths. (4) The Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services noted in a report on ephedra adverse events that 60% of those adverse events were experienced by people under the age of 40. (5) A study reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine concluded that, compared with other herbs, ephedra is associated with a greatly increased risk for adverse reactions and that the use of ephedra should be restricted. (6) The American Medical Association and the consumer group, Public Citizen, have called for a nationwide ban on ephedra. (7) The National Collegiate Athletics Association, the National Football League, and the International Olympic Committee have all banned ephedra use by their athletes because of concerns about the safety of this dietary supplement. (8) The U.S. Army has banned the sale of ephedra products in army commissaries worldwide after 33 army personnel died from consuming ephedra products. (9) Canada, Britain, Germany, and Australia have all taken steps to restrict the sale of ephedra products. (Source: P.A. 93-8, eff. 5-28-03.)