House Bill 707: Sexual Supplement Safety Act (Last Updated 2/5/2010)

I introduced this bill in 2009 as House Bill 920: No So-Called Sexual Stimulants For Kids Act. I have re-introduced it in 2010 as House Bill 707: Sexual Supplement Safety Act. Below is my write-up from last year, with contemporaneous updates.

I had a great bill hearing in the House Economic Matters committee on 3/17/2009. Please watch the video here.

When you walk into a gas-station convenience store do you pay much attention to the items on sale? Many of us don't. But if you did, you would see the usual fare: candy bars, sodas, cigarettes, first-aid supplies, etc. You might also see something more surprising: Aphrodesiac Pills.

These products are not FDA approved and are sold under sleazy brand names such as "Horniest Goat Weed", "Stamina-Rx" and "All Nite Long".

Just like unregulated nutritional supplements sold at GNC stores, there is very little government control over what is in these pills. This is a danger to public health.

Furthermore, these products are available to anybody who walks into the store. Including children. Maryland's age of consent is 16. So marketers of sexual products have no business targeting children under that age.

For this reason I have introduced the "HB 920: No So-Called Sexual Stimulants For Kids Act". This bill would ban selling products marketed as sexual stimulants to minors (people under the age of 18). It would force gas-station owners to check IDs the same way they currently do for cigarettes. They will also have to keep these items behind the counter.

The scientific research showing that these pills are dangerous is overwhelming. I have laid out the case below with references to peer-reviewed-scientific journals.

1. All Nite Long Herbal Sexual Supplement causes the dangerous and potentially lethal priapisms [International Journal of Impotence Research, 2005].
2. Stamina-Rx, which is sold over-the-counter, is "deliberately contaminated with pharmacological doses of PDE5 Inhibitors". "Fatal interactions with PDE5 inhibitors and commonly consumed drugs have been reported, and are well accepted." [Journal of Urology, August 2005].
3. FDA Warns against taking Stamina-Rx because "FDA has determined that the products actually contain the prescription-strength drug ingredient, tadalafil. Tadalafil is the active ingredient in Cialis, an Eli Lilly product approved in Europe to treat male erectile dysfunction. An interaction between certain prescription drugs containing nitrates (such as nitroglycerin) and tadalafil may cause a drastic lowering of blood pressure. There is real danger that this product may be taken by patients taking nitrates since erectile dysfunction is often a common problem in people with diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), ischemic heart disease and in people who smoke." [FDA, 7/20/2003] .
4. Rize 2 The Occasion was recalled in July, 2008 because the FDA "found the product contains potentially harmful, undeclared ingredients. FDA asserts that its chemical analysis revealed that Rize 2 The Occasion and Rose 4 Her contain thiomethisosildenafil, an analog of sildenafil, the active ingredient of a FDA-approved drug used for Erectile Dysfunction (ED). FDA maintains that this ingredient is close in structure to sildenafil and is expected to possess a similar pharmacological and adverse event profile. This undeclared chemical poses a potential threat to consumers" [FDA, 7/28/2008].

[UPDATE 3/17/2009]

• I had a great bill hearing in the House Economic Matters committee on 3/17/2009. Please watch the video here.
  
• You can see the Power Point presentation I gave during the bill hearing by clicking here.

You can see the written letters of support/opposition that were submitted for this bill:

• Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative in support here.
  
• Maryland Delaware Service Station and Automotive Repair Association in support here.
  
• Greater Washington Area Boys and Girls Club in support here.
  
• Montgomery County Government in opposition here.
  

[Updated 2/5/2010]: I have re-introduced this bill as the House Bill 707: Sexual Supplement Safety Act. You can read the text of the bill by clicking here.