Measure would regulate dietary supplements for people under 18

Lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bill banning the sale of some dietary supplements to minors.

This bill (S2387) is intended to protect minors at risk of eating disorders and substance abuse, and even some of the bill’s critics agree with it. like iron.

Under the bill, it would be illegal to sell or provide over-the-counter diet pills or muscle-building dietary supplements to minors. Fines of up to $750 will be imposed. Not applicable to minors with a prescription.

Jessica Hickman, who said she had recovered from a life-threatening eating disorder, told members of the Senate Committee on Health, Welfare, and Aging that she bought her first diet pill at age 15 and “put her in a really dangerous state.” Said.. Road. “

“It’s clear that the current pill regulation is very poor,” said Hickman, who works at the treatment facility Equip Health.

Kathy Polk of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade group for the supplement industry, said the law was “well-meaning” but that it inadvertently included many safe products, including vitamins and probiotics. Many dietary supplements are useful for people who may be recovering from an eating disorder, she said.

Additionally, the bill does not cover the most common and unscrutinized online sales of supplements and diet pills.

Kyle Turk of the Natural Products Association, the oldest and largest trade group in the supplement industry, said the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission have raised the bar for proper marketing and random product testing over the past 25 years. rice field.

The FDA requires manufacturers of dietary supplements to notify the agency of their ingredients and include them on their labels with safety warnings.

“Both the FDA and FTC regulate dietary supplements fairly well. You are restricting access to certain products.

he pointed out California governor vetoes similar bill Because it was too wide.

Sen. Bob Singer, R-Ocean, asked witnesses if his 18-year-old college-age daughter could buy vitamin C at a local pharmacy under the bill. They suggested that he could buy and ship it for her.

“It’s a vitamin, she can’t buy it, but can I send it to her? It makes a lot of sense,” he said.

Singer voted against the bill, as did Senator Ed Darr (R-Gloucester). All five Democrats voted yes, and the bill went to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.