**NOTE: FDA scheduling of drugs has five levels of controlled substances. (At least as far as I could find.) Many items are on the schedules that one wouldn’t think possible, but depending on chemical composition, they do qualify as controlled substances. Those on Schedule 5 have fewer restrictions on them than those on Schedule 1. The heavy-duty/illegal or controlled drugs reside on Schedule 1, it seems.
A rumor is circulating regarding the FDA moving spearmint from Schedule 3 up to Schedule 1. If true, this is amazing. Not being part of the government, I cannot yet verify that the Feds are doing this. I can verify that spearmint is on Schedule 3.
Folks, you saw that right. That favorite gum of yours may be changed before long. Mint pears for Christmas may become a thing of the past. At the present time spearmint sits on Schedule 3 for a reason. From what I could gather, spearmint flavoring used in toothpastes, etc. is already regulated due to some of its side effects when combined with fluoride. I also figured out that some of the restrictions involved the spearmint’s country of origin.
My question is this: if the FDA already has regulations on its commercial use in food and toiletries, what has changed that would precipitate a move from Schedule 3 to Schedule 1? That question leads to another. Just how restricted will the popular flavoring be if it’s moved to the No. 1 schedule?
Will it be allowed for anything without a prescription? Will it be outlawed so that the home gardener can’t even have it in a flowerbed for the scent? Will it become one of those ridiculous laws like the one forbidding non-native people to possess feathers?
That was a really good one that went all the way to the White House a number of years ago. I still shake my head over it. Of course, the woman that went to jail and paid a huge fine wasn’t laughing about it. She learned her lesson. Never make and send a gift to a new First Lady. If I remember correctly, the gift was made for Hilary Clinton, but it could have been Laura Bush.
There you have the ridiculous for the day. Spearmint is a controlled substance. Don’t you just love it? Isn’t it nice to know that the mint tea you had with your auntie is controlled by the FDA? Who’d a thunk it?
Can regulations for sassafras and horehound be far behind? After all, those two little items are very effective blood thinners. We can but wait and see.
That’s all folks! A bientot,
Claudsy
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