The California legislature passed a bill this week restricting minors’ access to weight-loss supplements and over-the-counter diet bills without a prescription.
California’s online records show that the state Senate passed an amendment to AB 1341 on Tuesday, and a majority of lawmakers agreed to the changes in a vote the next day.
AB 1341 also requires state health departments to post a notice declaring that certain dietary supplements for weight loss or OTC diet pills may contribute to death or certain health conditions. increase.
Retailers who violate the bill’s provisions face civil penalties of up to $1,000 for each violation.
The bill is backed by a prominent organization fighting eating disorders called STRIPED (Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders), based at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Boston Children’s Hospital. STRIPED executive director Bryn Austin did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the bill, but the organization noted on its website that the bill passed the state Senate.
AB 1341 has received mixed reactions from industry groups. Many, if not all, initially opposed the bill, but are now “neutral”.
The Natural Products Association (NPA), which has consistently opposed AB 1341, has asked Governor Gavin Newsom to veto the bill.
“The nutraceutical industry should not be a punching bag for California legislators to mislead voters to get cheap political claims,” Kyle Turk, NPA’s director of government affairs, said in an email. “If a supplement really caused an eating disorder, the FDA’s MedWatch would detect it. It doesn’t. There is no scientific correlation between dietary supplements and eating disorders. is imprecise and irresponsible, and Governor Newsom should follow the science and veto this bill.”
STRIPED’s Austin previously took issue with MedWatch.
“It’s like saying you went through a phone book to find the names of all the planets, but they weren’t there, so you concluded that the planets don’t exist,” Austin said in an email.
The office of Democratic Rep. Christina Garcia, who is spearheading efforts to support AB 1341, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Several other bills introduced in state legislatures across the United States restrict access to certain dietary supplements, but some of them have been very far behind. However, it had not yet been delivered to Gov. Kathy Hochol when the legislative session ended in June.
