Ephedra availability / legal issues

Letum said:

Also, how illegal is it, exactly, to a) sell Ephedra to
someone in the US (say, via the web), and b) to import the
stuff for personal use? Can the US gov actively &
effectively prosecute foreign merchants, and will they
even bother? What are the risks, realistically speaking?

The final rule doesn't apply to conventional foods, such as
tea. It also doesn't apply to Traditional Chinese Medicine
(TCM) preparations. To see the final rule, download this
(warning, it's 21 megabytes):

fda.gov1995n 0304 nfr0001.pdfOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

As we all know Ephedra will be banned (as a supplement) on
April 12 in the USA (another senseless act of government
opression, but that's another story). Apparently it already
regulated in some (most, all?) European countries, or soon
will be. Australia ditto. However, it is somewhat unlikely
that the ban is global, i.e. there must be plenty of
countries out there where Ephedra can still be bought &
sold freely. Does anyone have a (partial) list, or,
alternatively, a list of countries where it is (or is about
to be) explicitly banned?

Also, how illegal is it, exactly, to a) sell Ephedra to
someone in the US (say, via the web), and b) to import the
stuff for personal use? Can the US gov actively &
effectively prosecute foreign merchants, and will they even
bother? What are the risks, realistically speaking?

It will remain legal for licensed acupuncturists to dispense
it under the guidelines of Chinese Herbology. IOW, no
ephedra for weightloss or "energy". It is used traditionally
for some nasal/sinus conditions, urinary blockage, and a few
minor conditions.