英国政府の回答でひとつ大事なところ
The Government takes the view that consumers who choose to use homeopathic medicines should be fully informed about their purpose and assured that standards of quality and safety are maintained. If homeopathic medicines were not subject to any kind of regulatory control consumers would not have access to such information or assurances. Conversely, if regulation was applied to homeopathic medicines as understood in the context of conventional pharmaceutical medicines, these products would have to be withdrawn from the market as medicines. This would constrain consumer choice and, more importantly, risk the introduction of unregulated, poor quality and potentially unsafe products on the market to satisfy consumer demand.
最後の部分が重要。ようは、普通の薬品並の規制をホメオパシー薬品に適用すると、薬品としては市場から退場せざるを得なくなる、そうすると、消費者の選択が限定されるだけではなくて、消費者の需要を満たすために、規制を受けない、品質の劣った、安全性に欠ける製品が市場に出回る恐れがある、ってわけだ。薬品だけでなくて、ホメオパシーを処方する人のほうもそうでしょうな。
大事なことは、規制することでホメオパシーの存在そのものまで否定せずに社会に共存させているという一点で、日本のニセ科学批判の主張とは全く相反するものになっていると思う。
だいたい、サイモン･シンもそうだけど、例の委員会のEvan Harrisも、ホメオパシーやるなら税金使わず、自分の金を使ってくれって言ってる。ニセ科学批判の立場と全然違うんじゃないの？昨日引いたOxfordshireのニュースにあった。
County rules out NHS funding for homeopathy | thisisoxfordshire
He said: “People should be able to purchase homeopathy privately in a free country, but, when cash is so tight in the NHS that effective drugs for serious conditions can’t be afforded, it is wrong that taxpayers’ money can be spent by the NHS on an intervention which is recognised by scientific consensus to be no more effective than a sugar pill.”
ニセ科学批判と立場違うよ、やっぱり。
