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

The bill, which has been amended from its original version, requires that such products be “purchased only at the request of a customer from a seller”. While the original stated that “products should not be directly accessible by customers and can only be viewed by a retailer”, the new version gives retailers more options to limit access. It currently states: “Limited access to products may include, but is not limited to, products stored behind checkouts, aisle shelving systems with locked screens, and security devices requiring deactivation prior to checkout. ‘purchase”.

The bill would also require retailers to communicate “that certain over-the-counter diet pills or dietary supplements are known to cause gastrointestinal disturbances, tachycardia, hypertension, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular disease, severe liver damage sometimes requiring transplant or resulting in death, organ failure, other serious injury and death.

Failure to comply with these requirements would result in a fine of $2,000. To move forward, the bill still needs to be considered by the state House of Representatives before the Senate adjourns. If not picked up by the House by then, the bill will have to be reintroduced next year and voted on again.