From The Cancer Chronicles #12
Š October 1992 by Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.
[A famous case. Jonathan Wright, M.D. later brought suit against the FDA
for return of his materials, and won.]
On May 6, [1992] agents of the FDA accompanied by gun-toting King County
cops, broke down the door of the Kent, WA clinic of Jonathan Wright, MD.
They seized vitamins, other non-toxic nutrients and patient records.
Since the search order was sealed, it is still not known exactly what
they were doing there. But Wright is well-known for using a variety of
innovative treatments, including an injectable preservative-free vitamin
B complex from Germany. Wright had earlier brought himself to the FDA's
attention when he sued the agency for return of L-tryptophan, an amino
acid they had previously banned.
Although the FDA is still not able to carry guns, they did inform local
police to be ready for danger from the vitamin researcher. This is the
reason they gave for drawing their guns, kicking down the door and ordering
the staff at gunpoint to raise their hands. Police spokesperson Rob Barnette
explained that ofŪcers need to be prepared for the worst.
Wright hardly Ūts the bill of a Wild West desperado. A graduate of Harvard
and the University of Michigan Medical School, Wright was nutrition editor
of Prevention magazine for over a decade. He has written several popular
books, spoken at innumerable meetings, and is well-known for his research.
The raid triggered an incredible outpouring of indignation in the PaciŪc
Northwest and among health-conscious people around the world. Yet it took
the New York Times three whole months to Ūnd the raid "Ūt to print." Finally,
a front-page article in the Sunday Times (8/9/92) presented the case as
part of the FDA's concerted drive against the use of high dose nutrients
in medicine. "Freedom of choice" was actually mentioned in Lena Williams's
story.
Readers learned of the extent of FDA's hostility towards non-toxic medicine.
Yet bizarrely, (such being the power of FDA head David Kessler) the following
week Williams had to retract her story in another front page story. This
article fed readers FDA's line that it is not out to crush the alternative
health movement--while it is doing just that.
