Bill Would Ban Michigan Teens From Tanning Beds

<p><a href="mailto:rickp@mprn.org"><em>By Rick Pluta</em></a></p> <p>As spring arrives, many teens in Michigan are hitting tanning salons.</p> <p>"Tanning beds and cigarettes have a lot more in common than you'd think," says state Representative Jim Townsend "They both cause cancer and we shouldn't be allowing kids under the age of 18 to have access to either one."</p> <p>Townsend has sponsored a bill that would require tanning salons in the state to check IDs and turn away minors.</p> <p>"We've got an epidemic of tanning bed use, particularly among teenage girls, and we all know there's incredible pressure, particularly on girls, to be perfect, look perfect, be tan, even in the middle the winter and we thought, it's time to put a stop to this," he says.</p> <p>Michigan already requires tanning salon customers to sign informed consent forms.</p> <p>Townsend hopes his bill gets a hearing after the Legislature returns from its spring break next week. </p>