A friend from Overland Park was telling Amy Holdman recently about driving her daughter across the state line to go to a tanning salon, because Kansas bans anyone under 18 from those businesses.
The friend had apparently forgotten that Holdman, a skin cancer survivor, had testified for the Kansas law.
“I was like, are you kidding me? You’re telling ME this story,” Holdman said with a laugh.
If the American Cancer Society and survivors like Holdman have their way, teens soon won’t be able to just cross the state line to tan.
Missouri legislators are considering two bills like the one Kansas passed in 2016 that would ban anyone under 18 from using commercial tanning beds.
Supporters say it’s a public health issue, with research linking tanning to skin cancer and the Food and Drug Administration recommending kids not use tanning beds that emit ultraviolet, or UV, rays.
(Read more: KC Star Local News)