[ELI5] How governments allow snake oil “medicine” to sell on TV, light night? Some of these products are dangerous to people, like prostate crap that will do nothing and may prevent the people to survive if diagnosed too late?

Question

[ELI5] How governments allow snake oil “medicine” to sell on TV, light night? Some of these products are dangerous to people, like prostate crap that will do nothing and may prevent the people to survive if diagnosed too late?

In: 1634

Answer 1

The vitamin and supplement “industry”, particularly coming out of places like Utah, had a very large lobby of well-funded individuals to fight against absolute FDA labeling of “mere supplements” “as if they were medicines”. So as long as you don’t claim to treat a specific ailment or function as a specific kind of medication, you can sell “supplements.”

As with all such matters in the United States, the laws of capitalism dictate that the money makes the rules rather than the welfare of the citizenry.

I believe John Oliver did a pretty good treatment of the supplement industry not too long ago. It also comes up under the multi-level marketing schemes episodes as the claims that cross the threshold are disclaimed by the MLM for being unauthorized, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, and such like that.