Word: archers
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...flip? Archer reversed himself because of the ephedrine industry's strong opposition and its threats of litigation, his spokesman said. But records and interviews obtained by TIME suggest another plausible reason: the office of Governor Bush encouraged, if not inspired, Archer's about-face after lawyers close to Bush began work for a leading manufacturer. Those same lawyers funneled $40,000 to Bush's re-election drive about the time of a key industry meeting with Archer. The rise and fall of ephedrine regulation offers a case study of politics, policy and money in George W. Bush's Texas...
...Archer wasn't the first Texas health commissioner to tackle ephedrine. Since 1995, Texas' health department had been trying to ban over-the-counter sales of most ephedrine items. Marketed under such brand names as BioLean and Ripped Fuel, the substance had been linked to heart attacks, strokes and seizures. Leaders of what has become a $1 billion industry nationwide responded that their products were safe if taken as directed, and they launched a lobbying blitz against Archer's proposal to require a doctor's prescription for most products containing ephedrine...
...Antonio law firm headed by some of Bush's closest political associates, including Jeff Wentworth, a powerful state senator. (In Texas it is legal for a sitting state senator to represent clients before a state agency.) Wentworth arranged a July 2, 1998, meeting between Metabolife president Michael Ellis and Archer. Ellis says he called for a "dialogue" with his industry in place of the tough regulatory stand--a position being quietly urged on Archer by the Governor's office, report two sources involved in the issue. Just days after Ellis' plea, Archer brought in an outside lawyer to help...
What, exactly, was the role of aides to Bush in all this? The Governor's health-care adviser, Ron Lindsey, tells TIME he does not recall pressing Archer to abandon his initial tough-on-ephedrine proposal--although Lindsey allows that he strongly supported Archer's move to negotiate with ephedrine producers. Lindsey's 1998 calendar (a copy of which was obtained by TIME) shows that starting in May, he met with industry officials--including Ralph Oats, owner of Wellness International Network, who, along with his wife, contributed almost $90,000 to the G.O.P. and national candidates in the mid-1990s...
...Archer's negotiations with the industry were a closed-door affair. When he began the sessions on Aug. 11, officials from Metabolife and seven other companies flanked both sides of the U-shaped mahogany conference table in the department's boardroom. No outside doctors or consumer advocates were invited--unusual if Archer hoped to find common ground. Also missing were Archer's staff experts who favored strong regulation of ephedrine...