State attorneys general are expected to continue to play an active role in policing the dietary supplement industry through their authority to enforce unfair and deceptive acts and practices (UDAP) statutes.

Josh Long, Associate editorial director, Natural Products Insider

May 13, 2016

In 2015, led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, state authorities began to critically examine the dietary supplement industry.  

State attorneys general are likely to continue to play an active role in policing the industry through their authority to enforce unfair and deceptive acts and practices (UDAP) statutes.

In this episode, Josh Long, INSIDER’s legal and regulatory editor, and former Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler, discuss:

  • The interests of state attorneys general in dietary supplements;

  • The investigations into supplements by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman;

  • A lawsuit filed by Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum; and

  • Gansler’s role, as outside counsel for the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) and United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA), in educating attorneys general on regulations governing the industry.

Links and Resources:

NYAG Press Release: A.G. Schneiderman Asks Major Retailers To Halt Sales Of Certain Herbal Supplements As DNA Tests Fail To Detect Plant Materials Listed On Majority Of Products Tested

INSIDER Blog: GNC, NY Attorney General Reach Agreement on Herbal Supplements

Lawsuit: Oregon AG Lawsuit Against GNC

INSIDER Blog: In Oregon AG Lawsuit, GNC Says Legality of Ingredients in Dispute

INSIDER Blog: Amid States’ Scrutiny, Dietary Supplement Industry Retains Former Maryland AG

Got feedback? Email Josh Long at [email protected], or tweet to @NatProdINSIDER using the hashtag #INSIDERpodcast

About the Author(s)

Josh Long

Associate editorial director, Natural Products Insider, Informa Markets Health and Nutrition

Josh Long directs the online news, feature and op-ed coverage at Natural Products Insider, which targets the health and wellness industry. He has been reporting on developments in the dietary supplement industry for over a decade, with a focus on regulatory issues, including at the Food and Drug Administration.

He has moderated and/or presented at industry trade shows, including SupplySide East, SupplySide West, Natural Products Expo West, NBJ Summit and the annual Dietary Supplement Regulatory Summit.

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn and ping him with story ideas at [email protected]

Education and previous experience

Josh majored in journalism and graduated from Arizona State University the same year "Jake the Snake" Plummer led the Sun Devils to the Rose Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes. He also holds a J.D. from the University of Wyoming College of Law, was admitted in 2008 to practice law in the state of Colorado and spent a year clerking for a state district court judge.

Over more than a quarter century, he’s written on various topics for newspapers and business-to-business publications – from the Yavapai in Arizona and a controversial plan for a nuclear-waste incinerator in Idaho to nuanced issues, including FDA enforcement of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).

Since the late 1990s, his articles have been published in a variety of media, including but not limited to, the Cape Cod Times (in Massachusetts), Sedona Red Rock News (in Arizona), Denver Post (in Colorado), Casper Star-Tribune (in Wyoming), now-defunct Jackson Hole Guide (in Wyoming), Colorado Lawyer (published by the Colorado Bar Association) and Nutrition Business Journal.

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