Colorado joins State efforts to restrict weight management supplements
Sponsored by Senators Dominick Moreno and Lisa Cutter, SB23-176, Protections For People With An Eating Disorder, was introduced on March 3.
The bill seeks to restrict the sale of dietary supplements for weight loss or over the counter diet pills to anyone under the age of 18.
The bills follow similar efforts in states such as California, New York, and New Jersey over the past 12 months. The efforts in California and New York passed the State Legislatures but were ultimately vetoed by the respective governors.
Similar bills have also recently been filed in Maryland calling for restricting access of minors to dietary supplements or pharmaceuticals for weight loss. The bill does not attempt to regulate muscle building supplements. Maryland House Bill 634 was cross-filed with Maryland Senate Bill 602.
Commenting on the new bill in Colorado, Daniel Fabricant, PhD, President and CEO of the Natural Products Association, told us: “The state legislators are becoming emboldened to propose bans or restrictions on supplements, this is Colorado where so much of the industry resides, we’ll need a strong grassroots push. The attention the state lawmakers get on these proposals is clearly where their interest lies as they are trying to make a name for themselves to escalate their image.
“It’s deliberate that they (bill’s sponsors) tied it to standard of care issues on eating disorders, the thinking being it’s easier to oppose a purely supplement bill versus one tied to larger issues on eating disorders. That and one new nuance is the mention of specific OTC ingredients (sennosides and bisacodyl – OTC laxatives). Otherwise, it’s the same, age restriction and up to $2k fine for retailers.”
Dr Fabricant also noted that the bill mentions the internet but said there is “no meat on that bone on how it gets policed”. Kyle Turk, NPA’s Director of Government Affairs, is slated to testify on March 22nd if the Bill remains on the agenda, said Dr Fabricant.
