California bill restricting access to weight management supplements delayed until 2022

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California Assembly Bill 1341 (AB 1341) has been held up in the state Appropriations Committee, seriously delaying its passage until the assembly reconvenes in January of 2022. The bill, if passed, would prohibit the sale of weight management dietary supplements to people below the age of 18 without a prescription, restrict physical access to these supplements, and require public display of warning materials.

Industry trade associations such as the Natural Products Association (NPA; Washington, D.C.), the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN; Washington, D.C.), and the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA; Silver Spring, MD) have been lobbying the state assembly to oppose the bill. Similar bills have been introduced in other states but have failed to pass. Should the passage of AB 1341 be successful, it could encourage other states to do the same, burdening manufacturers with a patchwork of state laws. The delay provides some hope that the bill’s passage will fail.

According to AHPA, the delay makes AB 1341 a “two-year bill,” meaning that the bill cannot move forward until the second half of the two-year legislative session begins in 2022. Additionally, the bill must move forward with a vote of the state assembly early in 2022, otherwise its passage will fail. Under California Assembly rules, members cannot reintroduce the sale bill a second time during the same legislative session.