The American Suntanning Association is staying ahead of attempts to over-regulate professional indoor tanning facilities at the state and federal level in 2023.
Efforts to keep under-21-year-old people from using sunbeds in professional salons have been introduced in New York state, with anti-sun groups in California looking at the same. An under-18 bill in Ohio has been reintroduced once again as well, while other states continue to look at finding ways to restrict access to professional salons.
And, more than ever, ASA’s promotion and defense of the market with policymakers is founded in constructive dialogue that positions tanning professionals as part of the solution in real-world sun care.
The best way to keep legislation from getting any traction is to re-dedicate your tanning business to professional practices.
In all 11 state legislative issues raised in 2022, the ASA came out on the winning side without a defeat, using science to convince legislators that our approach to sunburn prevention and parental consent for tanners is the best way to address sun care issues. ASA is 25-0 in state capital issues in the past two years.
Many of these issues involved proposed under-18 or even under-21 age restrictions for usage of a professional sunbed facility. In many cases, ASA convinced would-be bill sponsors not to even introduce bills after seeing that the science does not support that approach. Some of our victories involved tax bills and other issues.
“We have blazed a common approach of putting real-world sun care in constructive, scientifically supported terms,” says ASA Executive Director & Director of Scientific Affairs Joseph Levy. Since 2015, ASA has convinced state legislatures 120 times that our positions make sense – continuing to win when we have the opportunity to lay out the unintended consequences of anti-sun legislation.
“We can demonstrate that our position is scientifically solid,” said Levy, who has now traveled to 43 state capitols on behalf of ASA and ASA partners.
Levy has met with state officials and legislators nationwide again this year – most recently traveling to Ohio in April for a full day of meetings with legislators there.
“The best way to keep legislation from getting any traction is to re-dedicate your tanning business to professional practices, sunburn prevention and to be worthy of the path that is being blazed for the tanning market of tomorrow,” Levy said. “And get involved with ASA. We need your support.”
To join ASA today, visit AmericanSuntanning.org/register.
