Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a new law that will stop retailers from selling certain diet pills and muscle-building supplements to Californians under 18. The measure, Assembly Bill 2030, takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.
The law covers over-the-counter products marketed for weight loss or muscle building. According to the text of the bill, courts can weigh whether a product contains ingredients such as creatine, green tea extract, raspberry ketone, garcinia cambogia or green coffee bean extract when determining if it falls under the restriction.
It is not a blanket ban on creatine or similar supplements. Whether a product is covered depends on how it is labeled, advertised and marketed — not simply on its ingredients. The governor’s office has not specified whether whey protein products are affected, and the law carves out an exception for minors who have a prescription for an otherwise restricted product.
Retailers that violate the law face civil fines of up to $500 per violation.
Why the state acted
In announcing the signing, Newsom’s office warned that “nonprescribed, medically unapproved products may cause dangerous side effects” and said such products “can be mislabeled or contaminated with substances such as steroids.”
The administration pointed to research showing nearly one in 10 adolescents have used these kinds of products, and cited studies linking over-the-counter diet pill use to a sixfold greater likelihood of being diagnosed with an eating disorder within three years.
Supporters and critics
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that co-sponsored the bill, praised the new law. “Manufacturers of these products often prey on kids and teens with deceptive claims that lack any scientific evidence,” said Jensen Jose, a regulatory counsel at the group.
The American Herbal Products Association, based in Maryland, came out against the law. “Lacking any scientific justification, AB 2030 casts a shadow over safe, beneficial products,” said Robert Marriott, the association’s vice president of regulatory and government affairs. The group also argued the law’s scope is unclear, noting it does not explicitly exempt protein products.
What doctors say about creatine
Dr. Sigrid Wolf, a pediatric sports medicine physician at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ sports medicine committee, has written that evidence of creatine’s benefits for teenagers is limited and that use carries risks. “In some cases, they might even be dangerous,” Wolf wrote on HealthyChildren.org, the academy’s parenting website, adding that creatine “can come with negative side effects such as weight gain, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.”
“Studies show that many supplements contain harmful substances that go undetected,” Wolf added, recommending that teens focus instead on nutrition, training, sleep and hydration.
Fox News Digital reported it had reached out to Newsom’s office for comment.
