Is Ephedra Illegal in the US?!


Question:

Is Ephedra Illegal in the US?

From everything I have heard Ephedra is no longer sold in the United States. But then recently I started hearing sports supplement commercials saying that they have products with Ephedra again...yet I haven't seen any energy pills with Ephedra again. So is Ephedra still banned or is it being sold again? And if it is, is it only in sports supplements? Thank you.

Additional Details

3 months ago
I'm very confused because I have found multiple sports nutrition places claiming to sell supplements with Ephedra...both locally and online. Yet everyone is telling me it is controlled. I'm just not for sure what's going on.


Answers:

In the United States it IS illegal for companies to sell dietary supplements containing ephedrine, as of last year (2006). However, there are uses for ephedrine that are legal.

First, to "Anonymous": Sorry, but you're wrong. Sudafed does NOT contain ephedra. It contains pseudoephedrine. For one, ephedra is an herb. Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are derivatives. And there is a big difference between the pharmacology of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine. Oh, AND: it is NOT a controlled substance. It just has certain cross-regulatory circumstances placed on it because of an entirely different law altogether.

Anyways, back to the question...

If you live in the United States and have gone to purchase cold medicines such as Sudafed and certain other sinus/allergy medications, you may have noticed that you are required to show your drivers license to the clerk and sometimes even sign a form. This is because all medicines containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are now regulated. You can only purchase a certain number of boxes of ephedrine and p-ephedrine containing products each month.

The reason it is now regulated is because of the Methamphetamine Precursor Act. Depending on what area of the U.S. you live in, you may have noticed that the manufacturing of methamphetamines is on the rise in recent years. A precursor is any "ingredient" in a recipe that is necessary for ultimately yielding the final product. Congress finally took the liberty of applying the precursor act to the methamphetamine process. Because ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are necessary ingredients for the first phase of the manufacturing process, they have been put on a "regulatory status" - at least for the time being.

So, Romeo, the short answer to your question is no, they haven't changed the regulations on ephedra/ephedrine as of yet. It may one day change, but for now it is still illegal for dietary and exercise supplements to contain them, and the cold/sinus/allergy medicines are allowed to contain them but the sales are regulated.

Hope this answers your question :) If you have any other questions about it, feel free to message me and I will certainly respond.




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