An Illinois House committee just overwhelmingly passed a bill banning anyone under 18 from using a tanning bed in the state, even with parental permission. Given that UV rays from the sun are several times more potent than tanning bed bulbs, you gotta’ wonder if the “Mandatory Sunscreen Act” is coming next.

It’s also unfortunate that the American Cancer Society feels compelled to chime in and support the ban. It’s one thing to warn people about activities that may increase their risk of cancer. It’s something else to support laws restricting consumer choice and personal freedom. It’s why I generally recommend people stop giving money to charities like ACS or the American Heart Association. You’re better off investing that money in a biotech or phramaceutical company that’s researching new ways of fighting a particular disease.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 13th, 2005 at 9:06 am by Radley Balko and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.