Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he would sign a bill that bans the use of fluoride in public water systems, rejecting the practice that many public-health experts say is a crucial protector against tooth decay.
The Republican governor said that half the state already doesn’t have fluoride added to the water and that dentists he had spoken to said there haven’t been dramatic differences between the different counties.
“It’s got to be a really high bar for me if we’re going to require people to be medicated by their government,” said Cox on ABC4 Utah.
“It’s not a bill I felt strongly about; it’s not a bill I care that much about, but it’s a bill I will sign,” he said.
The Utah law is set to take effect in early May. It will be the first state with such a ban.