Amish farmer's salve case reflects need to rein in federal regulators

June 8, 2017

BATH, KENTUCKY - In the words of Ronald Reagan, “Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.” More than 35 years after Reagan first spoke those words, what do they mean for each of us?

If you fail to understand and comply with the thousands of federal regulations which have been passed to run our lives you face the risk of huge civil fines, or worse yet, you face the risk of being criminally prosecuted.

If you think that it could never happen to you, consider the case of Sam Girod, an Amish farmer from Bath County, Kentucky. For decades, Sam, like many members of the Amish community, has been making and selling salves which contain natural ingredients. Unfortunately for Sam, his products came to the attention of an inspector from the Food and Drug Administration in 2013 because the container for his salve had a claim on the label that the salve cured cancer.

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