Not that I am a habitual Ephedra user, but I have taken it in the past (in dietary supplements) so I am aware of the risks and effects.
New York County Bans Sale of Ephedra http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Living/ap20030305_2037.html
Quote from the article..... The federal Food and Drug Administration has reports of 100 deaths among Ephedra users, and Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler recently died while using the amphetamine-like stimulant, commonly used for weight loss and body building.
- - end quote - - -
The article doesn't say this, but that is 100 deaths *nationwide* out of millions of people that have safely taken it.
So just for comparison, I looked up some statistics. The National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependency say that *ANNUALLY* 105,000 Americans die from alcohol-related causes which could include everything from falls to drunk driving accidents to cirrhosis of the liver. Also, there are about 365,000 tobacco-related deaths in the U.S. each year.
It is almost funny at the things that people will pursue like religious fanatics but yet are willing to overlook others.
It's not that I think that they are wrong ( I think that Ephedra should be better controlled) , and it's not that I am against alcohol, but the causes that they decide to become champions for seem to be very, very skewed. I think that same county in New York should also ban alcohol and tobacco. Oh wait... They get taxes from the sale of both, so I don't think that will happen any time soon.
+ + + end rant + + +
Gary
I can't think of anything to put here Maru.
Since *someone else* hasn't jumped in here, the better measure would be % of deaths per users, not just total numbers right?
This list's the deaths at 137, but over nine years.
http://www.ephedrine-news.com/html/effects.html
Sorry, I'm not thinking clearly enough to Google correctly. I agre with the tobacco and alcohol problems, either band them all or band none.
Kevin T. - VRWC
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