California’s New Law: Show ID for Gym Supplements, Not Elections

Starting next year, a lot of Californians are going to get carded for creatine. On January 1, 2027, retailers will have to ask for identification when selling certain dietary supplements marketed for muscle building or weight loss if they can’t tell the customer is clearly 18 or older. That includes products containing creatine, along with many protein powders, pre-workouts, and diet pills depending on how they’re labeled and marketed. 

Assemblymember David Tangipa put the contradiction on blast in a video, noting:  “We were just told for the past year that requiring an ID is racist because of the systemic barriers associated with obtaining an ID,” he said. “So either the majority doesn’t want black, brown, poor, and immigrants to have access to health supplements, or they’ve been lying to us about their arguments over ID requirements.”

🚨 NEW CALIFORNIA LAW REQUIRES ID FOR CREATINE AND PROTEIN POWDER

Starting next year, an ID will be required to buy:

Creatine.
Protein powders
pre-workout
Diet pills
And more dietary supplements

You can’t make this up. We were just told for the past year that requiring an… pic.twitter.com/M49r4f9xvO

— David Tangipa (@DavidTangipa) November 9, 2026

Led by Republican Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, Reform California gathered more than 1.35 million signatures for a constitutional amendment that would have mandated photo identification for in-person voting and citizenship checks, but Proposition 39 failed to pass last week. First-time voters who do not provide identification when they registered can often use a utility bill or other non-photo document, according to the Secretary of State.

The same “systemic barriers” argument used against voter ID was never applied to alcohol, tobacco, or now creatine.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2030 on September 28. The bill, carried by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, stops stores and delivery services from selling or giving away over-the-counter diet pills and dietary supplements “labeled, marketed, or otherwise represented” for weight loss or muscle building to anyone under 18, with a limited exception for prescriptions. In a store, clerks have to request ID when they can’t reasonably tell the buyer looks old enough. Online sellers have two options: verify the customer’s name, birth date, and address through a third-party database that relies mostly on government records, or ship the order with adult-signature delivery that requires photo ID at the door.

The law specifically flags creatine, green tea extract, raspberry ketone, garcinia cambogia, and green coffee bean extract as ingredients that can trigger the restrictions when a product is marketed for muscle or weight goals. Protein powder isn’t automatically covered, but industry groups warned that marketing language, store placement, or added claims could easily pull ordinary protein products into the rule. 

Supporters, including Lowenthal, pointed to studies linking teen use of these products to higher rates of eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and depression. The Council for Responsible Nutrition and other industry voices argued the language is broad enough to snare common adult supplements and create headaches for retailers.

AB 2030’s rules don’t make exceptions based on race or income. Stores and delivery companies have to follow them for covered products or face civil penalties. Retailers are already sorting through labels and marketing claims to figure out which products will require an ID check next year.