Hoodia you think you are?

[LSP]

Perhaps like me you are getting lots of SPAM messages to use Hoodia pills to lose weight.

It appears to be another case of the 'western'/developed world finding an indigenous 'cure' (for hunger in this case), and now capitalizing on this discovery by converting this into a wonder slimming pill.

But do the African farmers benefit? The pharmaceautical companies are taking out patents for seeds and plants and in the long run, indigenous small-hold farmers would have to buy from the big companies to grow plants that have been grown freely for generations in their back garden.

Perhap 'Ish' is not the right Forum to have a rant about this. But such injustices do make me cross.

http://www.pcusa.org/washington/issuene ... 020221.htm

http://grain.org/bio-ipr/?id=472

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/isisnews/i-sisnews9-31.php (first section)

What can I do??