Rhode Island bill limiting access to weight management and sports nutrition supplements passed state Senate

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A Rhode Island bill (S. 2613) that would restrict access to weight management and sports nutrition supplements to those under the age of 18 has passed the state’s Senate by a vote of 33 to 4, according to a report from Natural Products Insider. Specifically, the bill targets dietary supplements that contain an ephedrine group alkaloid, and any of the following ingredients: androstanedoil, androstanedione, androstenedione, noradrostenediol, norandrostenedione, and dehydroepiandrosterone.

The bill, which has been amended from its original version, requires these products to only be “purchased upon request made by a customer to a seller.” While the original stated that the “Products shall not be directly accessible by customers, and may only be accessed by a retail clerk,” the newer version gives retailers more options for how to limit access. It currently states, “Limited access to products may include, but is not limited to, products stored behind checkout counters, aisle shelving systems with locked displays, and security devices requiring deactivation before purchase.”

The bill would also require retailers to notices communicating “that certain over-the-counter diet pills, or dietary supplements are known to cause gastrointestinal impairment, tachycardia, hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, severe liver injury sometimes requiring transplant or leading to death, organ failure, other serious injury, and death.”

Failure to meet these requirements would result in a fine of $2,000. In order to move forward, the bill still needs to be taken up by the state’s House of Representatives before the Senate adjourns. If it is not taken up by the House by then the bill will have to be reintroduced next year and voted on again.