Maryland’s updated bill to keep antibiotics effective becomes law without governor’s signature

Maryland will soon have the strongest law in the land when it comes to protecting antibiotics.

The updated Keep Antibiotics Effective Act will become law without the signature of Gov. Larry Hogan. The act strengthens an earlier version of the law to prohibit the use of medically important antibiotics on healthy livestock and poultry, an industrial farm practice that has led to the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Each year, up to 162,000 people in the United States die from antibiotic-resistant infections.

“Without antibiotics, cancer treatments and routine surgeries would become too dangerous to perform because of risk of infection,” said Maryland PIRG State Director Emily Scarr. “Protecting antibiotics is something everyone can get behind and while we are disappointed Gov. Hogan didn’t sign this critical bill, we are delighted that the bill will become law.”

Maryland PIRG joined the Maryland Campaign to Keep Antibiotics Working, a coalition of health care, consumer and other advocates, to help pass this important legislation.

Read the press release.

Photo: Maryland PIRG State Director Emily Scarr joins other members of the Maryland Campaign to Keep Antibiotics Working in support of the Keep Antibiotics Effective Act. Photo Credit: Staff