The Natural Products Association is urging immediate action in opposition to Ohio House Bill 943, legislation that would prohibit the sale of a broad range of dietary supplements to individuals under the age of 18. The bill was introduced this week and has already been referred to the Ohio House Children and Human Services Committee.

While framed as a measure targeting “diet pills,” the legislation is drafted so broadly that it could sweep in countless lawful dietary supplements commonly used for general wellness, sports nutrition, and healthy lifestyle support. The bill empowers regulators to determine what products qualify based not only on ingredients, but also on marketing claims, product placement, website categorization, and even imagery.

Among other things, HB 943 would:
• Restrict the sale of dietary supplements marketed for weight loss or muscle building to minors;
• Require age verification for both in-store and online purchases;
• Impose burdensome delivery and ID verification mandates on retailers and e-commerce platforms;
• Subject companies and retailers to fines of up to $1,000 per violation.

Critically, the bill includes ingredients such as creatine, green tea extract, garcinia cambogia, raspberry ketone, and green coffee bean extract within the scope of products regulators may target. These ingredients are widely marketed and lawfully sold across the country under the existing federal framework established by DSHEA.

This legislation represents another troubling effort by states to create patchwork restrictions on federally regulated dietary supplements. The dietary supplement marketplace is already governed by a comprehensive federal regulatory structure administered by FDA. State-by-state sales bans and age restrictions create consumer confusion, increase compliance burdens, disrupt interstate commerce, and undermine access to products that millions of Americans use responsibly.

We need your voice now.

Please contact your Ohio legislators and urge them to OPPOSE HB 943. Tell lawmakers:
• Dietary supplements are already regulated at the federal level;
• Ohio should not create arbitrary state-level restrictions on lawful products;
• Parents — not government — should guide decisions regarding lawful wellness products for their families;
• Broadly drafted legislation risks sweeping in mainstream wellness and sports nutrition products.

Please also consider submitting testimony or engaging your government affairs teams immediately as this legislation advances through committee.

NPA will continue actively engaging lawmakers and educating policymakers on the unintended consequences of this proposal.

Thank you for your continued advocacy and engagement.