Why is the Center for Inquiry suing CVS?

Homeopathy is fake medicine. It doesn’t treat or cure anything. It’s based on junk science. But retailers and pharmacies will sell it to you anyway.
The Center for Inquiry is doing something about it. We’re suing CVS, the largest drug retailer in the United States, for fraud.
If you look for cold and flu remedies in a CVS store, you’ll see homeopathic products right next to real, evidence-based treatments.
If you search for cold and flu remedies on CVS’s website, you’ll see homeopathic products recommended and nested right along with real medicine.
CVS knows that homeopathy is baseless pseudoscience. They know it doesn’t work. But they’re happy to take your money anyway.
The Center for Inquiry is dedicated to fostering a society based on reason and science, and we think consumers shouldn’t be tricked into buying fake medicine that wastes their money and puts their health at risk.
Learn more and donate: centerforinquiry.org/cvs

[@thanksfordoxingpeopleyoutube]

if this lawsuit doesn't work im gonna drink homeopathic bleach

[@davidlewis6728]

so, you'll just be drinking water. k. why don't you do that already?

[@homewall744]

We already do if you drink from the tap.

[@metalzonemt-2]

Don't drink too much, or it won't work.

[@amandagarcia2848]

So diluted, there isn't any bleach in it!

[@puffinzeta6692]

Yang's Right arm - Well then you should be fine

[@shawnsimmons1308]

"Alternative medicine, by definition, has either not been proven to work or been proven NOT to work. Do you know what we call "alternative medicine" that HAS been proven to work? Medicine." - Tim Minchin

[@thejunecooperative]

That's from his video Storm, I just watched it a couple days ago. Really great stuff.

[@RealPi]

And do you know what we call Complementary and Alternative Medicine? sCAM ;)

[@trololollolololololl]

it has been proven its no beter than placebo so it doesnt work

[@jh1141]

So anything that has not been proven should not be investigated and trialed? How do you suppose we create new medicines? hahaha didn't you think that through for more than 2mins? 😄

[@hansvetter8653]

Statistics are clearly saying that the death rates for regions around hospitals are significantly higher compared to the average death rate for the nation! ... so ... the so called school medicine has its fair share of challenges ... ;-) So if you can't avoid to die ... do it at home! ... at least it will increase your personal life expectancy (!) ...

[@BranDenhauer]

If homeopathy were remotely true, then the extremely diluted chlorinated water we drink from our home taps would kill everyone.

[@CarFreeSegnitz]

If homeopathy were true we'd all be drinking dinosaur piss.

[@altosack]

Actually, it’s not diluted enough to qualify as homeopathic, so we should be fine.

[@danijel022]

Finally someone is doing something. I'm European, living on USA. Last winter I was sick with a cold and my wife both me some medicine. I would usually read the paper inside to check for side effects and dosing, but there was nothing inside. Then I noticed the homeopathy label on the box. I knew this means placebo that basically does nothing and you depend on your body to figure this illness on it's own. The "medication" was not cheap and I knew it was 100 percent ineffective. I asked her why she decided to by this and she said it was referred by the CVS staff as one of those good natural ways to deal with the illness. I tossed in a garbage where it belongs and got me some real medicine.

[@EdwardHowton]

Finally someone is doing something about this garbage! It's bothered me for years that drugstores, even here in Canada where we're more sensible about things than the USA, sell this tasteless candy as medication based off of a legal loophole. I've been hoping the Order of Pharmacists would do something about it, but for some reason they never have. Too big a fight, is my guess. I've only ever seen one slightly-legitimate use for that quackery. A woman came in with a tiny infant who had a cough and wanted to buy syrup for it. It was too young, syrup would've been harmful. The pharmacist saw the look in her eyes when he said not to give the baby syrup and knew as soon as he had his back turned she's grab the nearest bottle and kill her baby at home with it. So he sold her homeopathic cough syrup. It's got no medication or medicinal substances in it so it's as safe as tap water with a little honey mixed in, because that's basically what it is. It's still overpriced garbage and that one single rare case doesn't justify people being bilked by charlatans. I hope you win and take this fight global. Scammers of all stripes need to be punished.

[@XiaosChannel]

The most pronounced side-effect of homeopathic medicine includes: DISEASE NOT GETTING TREATED AT ALL IN THE FIRST PLACE

[@notsyort]

Excellent. I maintain that fraud is the most ubiquitous crime about, today. Forget shoplifting and parking fines - fraudsters (of whom, homeopaths are only one tribe) are career criminals, doing what they do perpetually, and with a prevailing feeling of impunity. It costs vast sums of money, people's health, and even lives. If they won't stop of their own accord, they must be nudged, shoved, and compelled.

[@militantpacifist4087]

It’s all about the power of suggestion that make people think these medicines work.

[@playc.holder6432]

Nice. They should limit homeopathy to its own shops. Can’t even think of a legitimate industry deplorable enough to couple them with.

[@shawnsimmons1308]

Cletus Abbot III...Right. Bringing homeopathy into legitimate pharmacies is like bringing praying faith-healers into a cancer treatment center as an alternative. They need to keep the fraud out of medical science.

[@pcuimac]

Please do the same here in Germany or EU! I hate all the bs that is sold in pharmacies. They also sell Grander water and other bs.

[@keithdurant4570]

Aww yes "alternative medicine" because it is an alternative to actually buying medicine, I wonder when Ben and Jerry will start marketing homeopathic ice cream for weight loss.

[@EmiL3TageWach]

Keith Durant Hit them up... they seem to have a funny Marketing anyhow^^

[@homewall744]

Ice cream, sir, happens to be the best cure known, well, at least palliative.

[@CommanderQ]

"You know what they call alternative medicine that works? Medicine"

[@CarFreeSegnitz]

You know what they call ice cream for weight loss? No ice cream.

[@jh1141]

Wrong! They are called alternative because it is an alternative to traditional methods. It has nothing to do with substituting, hence that big word COMPLIMEMTARY. Look it up in a dictionary 😉 They also call some CAMs "food products for medicine" or "nutriceuticals" if they are a common food product or endogenous chemical with medical applications. Acylamines and lipoamines are a good example. They are effective against inflammation and pain but were never developed for market. Medicine is more complex than not effective and effective. Medicine, not medicine. All medicines at one point were "unproven". Think! Debased medical claims should be illegal, not "unproven" or "unapproved" medical treatments.

[@gregdochious]

I’ve been saying this for years- the public need to be protected by law from ineffective treatments and the pharmacists need to stop looking for a quick buck

[@Philippoable]

A worthy endeavor. I wasted years of my life with sickness because my parents fell for that garbage.

[@patrickpalm1075]

Nope, I live in a first world nation called Sweden so I have never seen that. Not even health food chains carry that crap over here and pharmacies most CERTAINLY do not sell them.

[@dechome4069]

Good !!because a lot of dumb people fall for this and buy it.

[@captnduck]

Whoa, they sell homeopathy next to actual medicine in the US? thats madness. Here in NL you can buy homeopathy stuff to, but its usually in its own isle. The Placebo Isle i like to call it.

[@klaxoncow]

I think you meant "aisle" and not "isle". Though, that said, if only they would quarantine it to its own little island. Somewhere in the middle of the ocean, out of harm's way.

[@AndrewTJ31]

It's because Nixon had someone who was big into homeopathy in his cabinet and had a law made so the FDA treats homeopathy like real medicine.

[@baraitalo]

yeah, we have prince charles and the same problem

[@dave474c]

What or where is NL man?

[@spoddie]

I'm happy. I bought melatonin not realising it was homeopathic. If I remember correctly, it was labelled 5mg on the front but on the back it was labelled as 6X, meaning diluted 1/1,000,000

[@darklordbobSmoke]

But... What about mah feels and "big pharma?"

[@biglee3816]

I just traded a million alternative money for my house today. Can you believe it? I'm going to be rich. A million alternative money for $100 000 house, that's a deal.

[@CarFreeSegnitz]

I put a billion megabucks into my homeopathic bank account. Now it's all gone 😥

[@biglee3816]

Lenard Segnitz You didn't believe in megabucks hard enough. Have more faith and wait for something to happen.

[@DavidGardiner]

Sometimes I have to remind myself what century I'm living in. Richard helps me do this.

[@AmsterdamHeavy]

I just laugh at that shit when I walk by it.

[@RealPi]

CVS has been going downhill for a long time. Some good health services have moved away from CVS. I hadn’t realized they were doing this, thanks for letting us know.

[@mustie3682]

Go get'em!

[@MostlyLoveOfMusic]

Good job, we must ensure that logic and truth always win out

[@ananxiouspanda]

Thank you for doing this!! Even if the lawsuit fails (which it might, because Murica), hopefully our country will wake up to this problem.

[@thosethatcan]

Hemp.could end petroleum too.. Cellulous..

[@qwaqwa1960]

I'm curious about the possible outcomes. If you "win", then what? If they offer to separate the fakes into their own section, is that enough?

[@homewall744]

What next? Cosmetics don't make you prettier or happier, they just cover you up?

[@DermotKieran1]

Home Wall. Congratulations on the false equivalency fallacy. Not using lipstick won't harm you, but not getting proper medicine can.

[@DermotKieran1]

"If they offer to separate the fakes into their own section, is that enough?" That would be a good start, but if the Centre For Inquiry is successful, then there is a possibility that all homeopathic quackery could be legally branded as fraud. It could also lead to much stricter legislation, regarding other fake remedies, forcing them to be subjected to proper independent testing and evaluation, to assess the credibility of their healing claims.

[@TagSpamCop]

The idea is to destroy the market, and therefore the supply. Simple as that. If they can be marked as "Fake Medicine," most people will avoid it, and hopefully the money to be made from fake medicine will plummet.

[@GBftw]

I hope you win! I would like screenshots mixed in though to see the problem myself, rather than animation only.

[@hyper-sensitivity]

There is traditional Chinese medicine in China, which is also bunk. But there is no organization like center for inquire which can sue TCM. So sad.

[@FalinPerth]

Thank you. I have no "problem" with homeopathics in the same way I have no "problem" with St. Lidwina medals (Catholic patron saint against chronic pain). I just don't think any religious talismans should be sold as if they were drugs, next to the Aspirin. The average consumer doesn't know that homeopathy is, simply put, a faith-based practice. Why only this one faith has been given licence to sell and market its expensive holy water as if it were drugs has always confounded me. If CVS wants to put the homeopathics in a section labeled "faith products" with Buddha statues, St. Lidwina medals, and chakra crystals, great. But they know they are only selling so much of this stuff by tricking people into buying religious talismans for a faith they (most likely) don't even believe. No matter what your faith or non-faith, that should piss you off.

[@CarFreeSegnitz]

Good to see homeopathy on the run. Now how about getting pharmacies to stop selling candy, junk food and cigarettes?

[@ronaldkebic6201]

Thank you so much for this action.

[@b1aflatoxin]

"While using their reputation as a major pharmacy to trick people into buying untested, ineffective, fantasy products". Well said! Good luck, ...to us all.

[@MustafaKulle]

Fight the good fight.

[@RobsGamingNetwork]

Did not know that. Heard something about 'homeopathics' but never used them. Thank you for the information.

[@linkinsmommy7908]

Awesome! Hope you guys prevail!

[@Feniso]

Still not brave enough to eat a whole pack of homeopathic laxative

[@cd2320]

Shit guys... I forgot to take my pills- I’m gonna OD!!!!!

[@MonteiroM]

Facts.

[@andljoy]

Lets just get this out of the way...... ITS FUCKING WATER!

[@bigmike4133]

Good shit man get that bull shit off the shelves

[@snakebite1033]

Lovely, i'm glad some steps are taken and i really hope you succed as you have a really strong case.

[@Ploskkky]

I love this. I am curious to see what comes of this.

[@smu4242]

Oh man, this is so great, I don't know how to express myself! No matter if this is succesful or not, please try it in other countries / with other companies as well!!!

[@Millo1868]

Well done! It's a dirty job but someone had to do it. The CFI might run out of money. You guys are brave. GO GET 'EM!!!

[@TheReaper569]

Thank you for your service

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

11 magical thinkers disliked this video so far.

[@dannyamos313]

Good work

[@LAIDBACKMANNER]

Awesome!

[@noahh.4484]

I was waiting for this!

[@mashagrey]

Finally!

[@TempestTossedWaters]

It's a solid argument, and you'll win with it.

[@A3Kr0n]

Best news I've heard in a long time

[@Rationalific]

Nice! It's about time!

[@billschlafly4107]

If alternative medicine worked...it would be called medicine.

[@Galakyllz]

Finally. Enough is enough. Good luck.

[@mrjonno]

Great work CFI. In the UK NHS funding for homoeopathy has been ceased and upheld by high court since June 2018. For America there is a bigger problem because there is no real public health infrastructure that is a a national institution that could replace the quacks and charlatans to maintain a high quality of health care for all and be able to reject 'snake oil'. I live in hope, but as long as Trump maintains the popular vote instead of voters listening to the real problems then we have an even greater problem.

[@homewall744]

Vitamins are next?

[@TotalRookie_LV]

No! Because there are people who need them, who get prescriptions. It's just that the vitamin hype is bunk - they don't do wonders. No _healthy_ person with a reasonable diet - meat, vegetables, fruits, needs additional vitamins. I'd say, wonder diets and "superfoods" might be next. Relatively recently (for a year or two) there have been coconut oil hype, actual ingredients of that crap are not healthy at all, sure it's not poison, but saturated fat content in it is worse than in palm oil, even worse than in animal fat. Hell, better eat pure butter then! But people are paying extra to get that shit, so, of course, somebody sells and makes a buck!

[@MagnusDangerMagnus]

FUCK YEAH!

[@lucassennhauser]

I agree wholeheartedly, but I can't help but be reminded of PragerU...

[@Eltoca21]

I really hope you win.

[@franstein8553]

Yes! Do it

[@Colleywoodstudios]

im surprised that theres no Homeopathy MLM pyramid scheme bullshit lol

[@bestamerica]

' depend on CDC / FDA / doctor

[@TagSpamCop]

Who approves the homeopathic things?

[@IsaacAsimov1992]

Bravo CFI !

[@ImTheDudeMan471]

Would BenGay and IcyHot be considered homeopathy?

[@RickDeckardMemories]

Also, I think there are churches in the United States... 😉

[@thosethatcan]

Check out midway island plastic docu. On youtube.

[@JaredKMarkowitz]

Good job kids. Now how do i donate

[@jessefisher1809]

well thats fantastic

[@herrbasan]

As much as i agree, the net benefit of a highly effective placebo outweighs the danger and risk. It is of course annoying as hell that people profit from it, but if the well being of humans is the goal, overall homeopathy is a good thing.

[@TagSpamCop]

Tell that to the kids who died, went deaf, or simply suffered unnecessarily because they were given water and sugar. By your logic, we should endorse faith healing.

[@aaronrosenberg6633]

It sucks when you have to keep your mouth shut to preserve friendships with people who believe in homeopathy.

[@valyard]

So when is walgreens getting sued...?

[@TotalRookie_LV]

Still, "Placebo Strong" works better than "Placebo Basic", sure it costs more, but it's also more effective. Everyone will tell that! Maybe tests will not show that, maybe, but what do they know! People _feel_ the change, and that's what matters!

[@bhk110]

Does Homeopathy include vitamins and supplements, since those aren't approved by the FDA either?

[@Benimation]

Will this finally work?

[@eddiegaltek]

I hear they are working on homeopathic water.

[@Reddoguk]

There is some proof that the placebo effect has some merits, so it'd be hard to prove otherwise. If you label it as a placebo then it'll stop working.

[@klumaverik]

How is this going anyways?

[@Superxpninja]

Sounds like fraud to me

[@tomormiston6592]

homeopathy; the art of the con

[@rafaellisboa8493]

that's capitalism folks, profit however you can, even if it means fucking up poor people making them pay for useless shit

[@magisterludi9689]

Many people say they got better when they took homeopathy tablets. Is all in their mind. Is placebo. But did they got better? Homeopathy still has a lot of followers, generates money. It seems that's all what really matters in our society. Good luck.

[@JeremiahTatola]

How does this this make sense... i mean, i understand that homeopathic remedies are bullshit, but there’s no way a homeopathic treatments for a headache is more expensive than Advil. I mean, is it really the retailers fault for having dumbass customers who can’t read? Furthermore, if an individual prefers to buy items related to homeopathy, isn’t it their right to be utterly stupid? Idk man. Idk if you have a case 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@TagSpamCop]

Big Placebo has convinced people that actual medicine is dangerous and poisonous, and theirs is just 'natural' and 'safe.' Look around on this video. There are liars lying about homeopathy right here. They're lying through their teeth and they know it, but they don't stop.

[@Adamantium9001]

What, to learn about the lawsuit go to your website? Why didn't you talk about it right here? The video ended just as the actual content was about to begin; watching it was like reading only the introductory paragraph of a school essay.

[@kieranb7747]

I don't respect you for suing, i'll respect that you disagree with the practice because presumably you'll be looking for money.

[@Tommyr]

It's up to the public to do their own homework. But there will always be stupid people that listen to nonsense like homeopathy. PT Barnum was right.

[@jojojorisjhjosef]

jeah but capitalism

[@anonymousanonymous-cl8nr]

Lol so?

[@psychoh13]

FDA approval does not mean the drug is good.

[@ThePharphis]

I don't think they made that argument?

[@DermotKieran1]

Yup, all "FDA approval" means is, it's not a deadly poison.

[@TagSpamCop]

Who approves homeopathy? Anyone? That's probably true. Anyone. I'll take FDA approved over injesting unregulated random god-knows-what every single time.

[@Joshua-ox5fr]

If people want to buy homeopathy medicines that’s their business. I suggest an educative campaign instead.

[@liquidminds]

The issue wasn't about it being offered, the issue was about it being presented as if it was real medicine. Choice is a great thing, but it requires information that you can base your decision on. Misinformation is not beneficial to anything other than scumbags selling their scam-products.

[@SarthorS]

The problem is that science based education has to stick with what has been shown to be true, while fraudsters do not. You have people who cannot accept such a simple and easily demonstrable fact that the Earth is round. What chance is there that you can convince them about something as complex as modern medicine? What evidence are you going to present to someone who does not value evidence? What logical argument are you going to use with someone who does not accept logic? How do you reason with someone who rejects reason?

[@Joshua-ox5fr]

liquidminds Yes, misinformation is not a good thing, but the better way to battle misinformation is with knowledge, contrary to the hammer of the state. In fact if homeopathic pharmaceuticals were exposed to the public in a massive publicity campaign it could actually do more damage to CVS than a mere lawsuit. It’s generally better to avoid lawsuits and regulations.

[@Joshua-ox5fr]

SarthorS You don’t, you let them mind their own business. It is a right to live in ignorance.

[@liquidminds]

lawsuits have often been a starter for a public debate. I completely agree that the ban-hammer isn't the way to solve issues. I think it's great that they are suing, but I agree that it should not end with prohibition. Just an end of the practice of false advertisment would be enough.

[@brokenwave6125]

Really? This is the battle you're choosing to fight? Seems pretty immature. Especially because you're suing a retailer....not the producer of the product. That's actually really stupid. CVS can sell whatever they want. I mean, they also sell candy, cigarettes, etc...things which are bad for you...in a pharmacy. Homeopathic products aren't bad for you at least...and on the label it always says none of the claims of potential benefits are supported by the FDA. So basically...you think stores shouldn't sell things you don't approve of...and that buyers have literally no obligation to read the labels of things they purchase. Will you also sue Wal-Mart for selling rat poison in the same store they sell food? What if someone eats it because they didn't read the label?

[@gunz300]

Candy is marketed as candy, cigarettes are marketed as cigarettes, and rat poison is marketed as rat poison. Stupid straw man arguments. Furthermore, these places DO produce their own products whether generic or "proprietary". Your ignorance is staggering on this topic.

[@skevoid]

If the rat poison was sold in the candy isle in similar packaging to everything else and with the word 'chocolate' on the front, yeah they'd be getting sued.

[@Kevorama0205]

Broken Wave You can't advertise non-FDA approved drugs as treating any specific illnesses. So if you put something in the cold/flu aisle, it has to be FDA approved to treat the cold or flu. So what CVS is doing is illegal.

[@brokenwave6125]

Kevin Allen Well you're wrong about that. Being in the cold and flu aisle isnt the same as making medical claims. What theyre doing isnt illegal. Hence why they arent being charged with any crimes.

[@TagSpamCop]

There are hundreds of them. Suing all of them is difficult, especially when they just change their names, or shut down and pop up somewhere else. Destroy the demand side and the supply side will collapse. It's not that hard, kids.

[@killercour]

Homeopathy focuses on using natural ingredients (plants etc) that have medicinal compounds in them as well. Better than pharmaceuticals? Hardly. But what is said in this video isnt entirely true.

[@Benimation]

LandoCowDelicion no, the video is right. They dilute it so much that there's none of it left. In fact, I think they don't even put it in there in the first place. You can't find it anyway and they are actually frauds, so why waste the money?

[@notsyort]

Industrialised homeopathic fraud uses the 'Korsakov Method' which can be vaguely approximated to 'rinsing' a large vessel several times, and using the last rinsewater to make some sugar pills temporarily damp. So you're right that they don't put ingredients in there - the last rinse is nothing but water.

[@killercour]

Benimation i see. So the companys arent actually following real homeopathy. They are 100% frauds if thats what they are doing.

[@notsyort]

No. Like i said, it's the Korsakov Method, which is part of homeopathic superstition. The details of the magical ritual are not what defines it to be fraudulent. You can put any words to the magic spell, and the fact that it doesn't do anything claimed, but the money still changes hands, is what makes it fraudulent. In fact, there is a homeopathic variant, in which you don't even need water - just a card with holes punched in it, and a magic machine: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jWnHlXuld9RmZpo

[@Benimation]

Also, real homeopathy doesn't work either..

[@MichaelHarrisIreland]

Why don't you take on the scientific community which is a far stronger foe, you could find hundreds of faults with their claims also, which are more dangerous because they carry the science label which also make government policy, unlike the other stuff which you can take or leave. And easy target just aggrandising yourself and doing nothing to expose official corruption, just the small guy.

[@Kevorama0205]

Michael Harris CVS is "the small guy" now? Or are you talking about the billion-dollar homeopathy industry?

[@MichaelHarrisIreland]

Kevin Allen: It's not backed by all the forces of the state, it has to survive by it's own wits. They don't get laws passed to tell us all what to do and force their views on us. It's easy to take on CVS and feel no threat to yourself, use your investigative effort to take on the unquestionable medical profession. Without people like the CVS there would only be one truth for all, and that's more corrupting than selling something that might be nothing more than a placebo effect.

[@Kevorama0205]

Plenty of people have been questioning the medical profession, for decades, and very loudly. But they're still selling what they've always been selling, and saying what they've always been saying. There's no threat. All this lawsuit even asks is to move homeopathic medicine that doesn't affect cold or flu out of the cold/flu section, because that's false advertising.

[@TagSpamCop]

Big Placebo is bigger than Big Pharma. If you're going to pretend that there's a problem with actual medicine, then I'm going to call you a deflecting, distracting, misrepresenting liar.

[@TagSpamCop]

@@MichaelHarrisIreland Homeopathy is not tested or approved by anyone. And somehow you think this is better. Here's a question: is it because you know it's bullshit, so is safe, or you think it works, and therefore are willing to gamble your life on untested, unregulated, untracked doses of random shit? You pretend that actual medicine is some kind of guessing game or rort, and yet the medical community can explain how medicine works, what's in it, and can even track the batch you have. Literally _NONE_ of that applies to the fake medicines like homeopathy. You ramble like an idiot about "truth" and yet you're just a contrarian. Tell me which batch your homeopathic solution came from. I'll wait. You're an obvious troll and lunatic, and your claims are as bunk as your medicine. And you do this knowing that everyone you convince to take fake medicine will be harmed. You're fucking corrupt.