Suicide Prevention bill clears Colorado Senate
(COLORADO) — On Monday, March 25, the Colorado State Senate advanced a bill to prevent suicides by regulating the sale of sodium nitrite products to Coloradans.
According to Andy Bixler, the Senate Majority Communications Director, the bill, HB24-1081, would ban the sale or transfer of products that contain a high potency of sodium nitrite, at 10% or greater concentration. Sales of products with higher amounts of sodium nitrite would be restricted to businesses with a verified commercial need. The bill would also require warning labels on approved products to highlight the deadliness of sodium nitrite.
Under the bill, sellers must verify commercial businesses’ need for the product before completing transactions and retain sales or transfer records for three years. Violators would face civil penalties of $10,000 for a first offense and up to $1 million for a subsequent violation.
The bill has been getting bipartisan support, due to the increasing number of suicides in Colorado, particularly among teenagers. “Colorado tragically has one of the highest rates of suicide in the country, with a particularly alarming high number of suicide deaths among Colorado’s youth,” said Senator Dylan Roberts, (D-Frisco), who was one of the co-sponsors of the bill.
At least 25 deaths were attributed to sodium nitrite digestion in Colorado between 2018 and 2023, and the number of occurrences has been rising each year.
“This bill seeks to restrict the availability of the extremely potent sodium nitrite chemical and appropriately highlight its lethality so that we can restrict this means of suicide and save lives,” said Roberts.
The bill now moves to the House for consideration.
If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, the easiest way to ask for help is to dial 988.
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