There are a number of natural health products that have been shown to interact either with mainstream medications or to pose a risk for certain things such as bleeding. There has been an increased use of natural health products, and as more people use them, we need to collect data that will show all of the risks.
We need to keep in mind that low risk does not mean no risk, and natural does not mean safe. By including natural health products in the bill, it ensures that health care professionals and consumers in Canada have access to better information, that they can make better decisions for their health, and make sure that everybody has a good understanding of the actual risks associated with the products. The current databases that we have are fairly thin on the risk side.