As the herbal medicine market continues to boom, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the federal government to enforce federal laws against the sale of herbal products.
Last year, the Drug Enforcement Administration began issuing an alert about the herbal remedies sold by online sellers.
However, this year, it appears that the warning has become less relevant, as the herbal market has exploded, and as local and state authorities continue to enforce illegal herbal products laws.
In January 2018, President Trump signed an executive order that made it illegal for local and State governments to impose new herbal products bans or regulations on the market.
However the DEA does continue to issue alerts about the illegal marketplaces, and many of the sellers are still operating illegally.
With the market continuing to boom in the U.S., it is critical that those in charge of regulating herbal markets take action to ensure that they do not lose their authority to ban the sale and distribution of herbal remedies.
This article will address the main reasons why local authorities continue in their efforts to control the herbal marketplace.
1.
They don’t have the resources to enforce the laws The Drug Enforcement Agency is responsible for enforcing the laws that are on the books and does not have the time to monitor the herbal product trade.
In order to effectively enforce federal law against the herbal products market, the DEA has two major programs: 1.
the DEA Enforcement Coordination Office, which is tasked with coordinating enforcement efforts across the country, and 2.
the Drug Intelligence and Operations Center, which provides information on herbal product distribution and sales.
However both of these agencies are funded by taxpayers, and the DEA is the only agency that has access to taxpayer funds to implement its enforcement actions.
In 2018, the U,S.
Congress approved the DEA’s 2018 Appropriations Act, which provided $4.6 billion for the DEA.
In 2019, the President approved an additional $5.4 billion for DEA, which also allocated $6.1 billion for “law enforcement related” funds.
These funds will be used to purchase, train, and equip law enforcement agents.
Unfortunately, local authorities have not been able to provide the DEA with the resources it needs to effectively implement their herbal medicine laws.
The DEA’s enforcement program currently consists of two divisions: 1) the Enforcement Coordinating Division, which consists of agents from the DEA field offices in the three states that have laws against herbal remedies sales, and which will be responsible for monitoring the herbal trade in those states; and 2) the DEA Information and Technology Branch, which will provide DEA with information on the sale, distribution, and sale of the herbal drugs.
Both of these divisions are funded from taxpayers, but they are both subject to the whims of local authorities.
As of January 1, 2018, no local authorities in the United States have been able or willing to fund the DEA information and technology branch.
The two largest cities in the nation have been the top two recipients of DEA money, according to a 2017 report by the Tax Foundation, which found that each city received $3.4 million from the federal Drug Enforcement Program in 2019.
Local authorities across the nation do not have enough resources to properly implement their own herbal medicines laws.
They need more funds to adequately fund the federal program and to enforce their own laws against any illegal herbal product sellers.
2.
They lack the manpower to enforce laws The DEA enforcement program has over 8,000 agents, who are deployed across the United State to enforce state and local herbal medicine bans and regulations.
Although DEA agents can only enforce state laws in those localities that have enacted them, they do have the authority to enforce any federal law.
If local authorities fail to enforce a law, they can file criminal charges against any person who violates the law.
Additionally, a local authority can also file civil actions against any individual who sells or manufactures any herbal medicine.
In the event of a civil suit, a judge can order the individual to stop selling or manufacturing the herbal remedy, and could also order them to pay a civil penalty of $250 per day to the state.
As long as a local jurisdiction does not enforce a local herbal remedy law, it cannot be sued by any individual, nor can it be held liable for any civil penalties incurred by a person who sells and manufactures a herbal remedy.
The federal government’s ability to enforce herbal remedies laws has always been a key component of its ability to control this lucrative industry.
However as the number of local herbal medicines sales continues to increase, the need for more resources to effectively address the herbal markets continues to grow.
3.
They do not control the herbs they sell The herbal markets are largely unregulated, with sellers in almost every community selling herbs they have purchased at their local pharmacies, health food stores, and grocery stores.
Many sellers are not aware of their obligations under federal and state laws, and it is common for them to continue selling their herbs illegally.
Local governments have not created a mechanism to enforce these laws, nor have they created a centralized database that would allow