https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn5FL4ThfXU#t=932
**PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION**
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/58269
Exactly who and what is the Advertising Standards Authority? Do you know?
The ASA is an independent regulator of the advertising and media industry.
In a recent survey on public awareness of the ASA:
40% of people asked think they are a part of the Government
25% didn’t know or weren’t sure of tier status
20% think they are statutory but “independent”
15% think they are independent
Would you be surprised to know that the ASA is not a legal body and has no authority to legally intervene in public matters or interpret or enforce legislation?
In fact, it is just a private business, a Private Limited Company just like any supermarket or drug company. It is self-appointed and backed by anonymous funders. It determines its own riles and regulations without accountability, it appoints its own council to adjudicate alleged breaches and determines what sanctions should be applied.
The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) recently introduced a Code, which relates directly to CAMs (Complementary and Alternative Therapies) without any prior consultation with the CAM sector.
The ASA also recently defined any reference which claims directly or indirectly that a CAM therapy can diagnose, treat or help a health condition as “marketing” and that stating this is not allowed.
Natural Medicine has been used for thousands of years prior to orthodox medicine and has thousands of peer-reviewed and scientific evidence, papers, journal etc that exists demonstrating that Natural Medicine does work. So how can a self-appointed body with no authority or consultation with experts make rules about Natural Medicine and enforce them?
A recent campaign lead by Natural Health experts has come to light that is looking into the ;
“legal basis of authority; public perception of legal status; independence; transparency; competence to rule on technical matters; right of appeal; as well as the appropriateness of sanctions imposed. It is a private limited company, a media industry association, but appears to act as a Govt body. Use of terms ‘Authority’ & ‘Standards’ in its name now have legal restrictions. It has legal sounding processes with no legal basis: rulings, adjudications, sanctions and compliance, implying judicial or statutory authority. No independent appeal process or external review/audit of processes/outcomes. Sanctions are imposed by online naming and shaming and use of Google Ads to actively promote rulings. These activities seriously damage businesses and reputations & are unjustified when the ruling is unbalanced or even undermines the authority of established Govt bodies.”
Even though it cannot act as jury or judge, the ASA ‘s staff compile evidence selectively, and in the case of claims involving Natural Medicine, without the advice of credible experts in the field. They then threaten, bully and intimidate organisations into changing the way they represent themselves or the work that they do otherwise they they will be sanctioned. And they way they do this is by placing Google Ads discrediting individual people and organisations and causing considerable distress to people.
As Dr Alyssa Burns-Hill, PhD – Campaigner for ASA Change says;
“It (the ASA) can be held to account by no one as it is a Private Limited Company just like Boots or Tesco. How can these activities be justified as an organisation that proposes to represent legality, decency, honesty and truthfulness and purports to be an Authority and official Regulator?”
The Campaign for ASA Change is an important step towards a real investigation into the ASA which , if you are a supporter of Natural Medicine you’ll agree needs to happen,
I was recently made aware of all this and inspired by my college’s Principal, Herman Keppler when he came to speak to us about about studying with the College of Natural Medicine. He mentioned the challenges we will face as new graduates in Natural Medicine practitioners and urged us to research and question for ourselves and join in the movement.
Watch this short documentary BELOW about the ASA made by Alyssa to understand the damaging effect the ASA is having on our industry and the abuse of self-appointed power.
Take a stand against the ASA – PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/58269
Sources:
Jury, Judge & Executioner in Homeopathy in Practice, Autumn 2012, www.filedropper.com/201212170917
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn5FL4ThfXU#t=932
