NPA was Sole Trade Association to Oppose the Bill, Testified at Hearings, and Asked Governor to Veto
Washington, D.C. – In a big win for American consumers, free enterprise, and thousands of small and large businesses in California, California Governor Gavin Newsom yesterday vetoed AB1341 which would have restricted access to dietary supplements, and in some cases would have required a prescription to access these health products. The bill would also have required brick and mortar retailers to post warning signs at purchase counters saying that dietary supplements are known to cause serious adverse events, including stroke, organ failure, and even death, despite no scientific evidence supporting the claim. The bill had no such similar warning requirements for online sales. Failure to comply with the legislation would have brought fines of up to $1,000 for each infraction, and a legislative analysis suggested that ingredients including vitamin D and calcium were potentially harmful.
NPA testified against the bill and sent a letter to Gov. Newsom asking that the bill be vetoed.
“This is a decisive victory for California consumers, the natural products industry and science. Supporters of this bill like STRIPED used a range of completely false claims and zero science to jam this through with no evidence, but to his credit Governor Newsom and his team looked at the facts and made the right call. NPA members had a big hand in persuading him by sending thousands of messages that made their opposition clear,” said Daniel Fabricant Ph.D. president and CEO of the Natural Products Association. “While we are extremely grateful Governor Newsom listened to the science, the fact remains other states need to now take now notice and ensure these draconian policies never again see the light of day. NPA is still currently battling to ensure similar proposals in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Missouri, and Rhode Island do not become law.”
“This is a prime example of what a strong grassroots network can do for the industry. NPA’s grassroots network sent over ten thousand emails and phone calls to Governor Newsom and the legislature urging their opposition to AB 1341. We were the only organization working to ensure this was the type of victory our members received. While other groups changed their position because the battle was long and arduous NPA and our members stayed the course, and we are extremely grateful for the leadership they showed during this ordeal. The battle has been won, but the industry will continue to be under attack at the state and federal levels, whether its pre-market approval/mandatory product listing or age and access restrictions which is why it’s imperative we continue to utilize our grassroots network to warn lawmakers the dangers of bad policies.”
