Such is the present state of affairs in California: Governor Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown recently signed two pieces of legislation into law, one providing in-state tuition for illegal aliens and one banning minors from using tanning beds. So the state has seen fit to reward the illegal presence of foreigners in the country while cracking down on the individual liberties of citizens.

It’s no wonder the state’s in the crapper.

(Reuters) – Minors in the state of California will no longer be allowed to use tanning beds after Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill on Sunday prohibiting anyone under the age of 18 from using ultraviolet tanning devices.

California is the first state in the nation to ban minors from using tanning beds, legislators said.

Yeah, you know why? Because it’s stupid. Even Nanny States like New York have yet to go this far.

Why the ban? Skin cancer risk.

The bill was part of a cluster of legislation signed on Sunday designed to “improve the health and well-being of Calfornians,” according to a statement from the Governor’s office.

“I praise Gov. Brown for his courage in taking this much-needed step to protect some of California’s most vulnerable residents — our kids — from what the ‘House of Medicine’ has conclusively shown is lethally dangerous: ultraviolet-emitting radiation from tanning beds,” the bill’s sponsor, state Senator Ted Lieu, said in a statement.

“If everyone knew the true dangers of tanning beds, they’d be shocked. Skin cancer is a rising epidemic and the leading cause of cancer death for women between 25 and 29.”

Pardon me, but uh…doesn’t the sun also pose significant risk for skin cancer? In fact, I’m willing to bet natural sunlight has caused far more skin cancer amongst humans than tanning beds.

This is California. People are going to tan — either indoors or outdoors. And unless the state plans to ban minors from coming in contact with sunlight, they’re still at risk for skin cancer thanks to ultraviolet radiation. All the state has succeeded in doing is reducing individual liberty and hurting tanning businesses.