A temporary ban on flavored tobacco in Long Beach which will require retailers to remove the product from shelves and stop its distribution and sale is now in effect,.
The restriction on flavored tobacco began on Thursday, June 2, and will continue until January 3, 2021, unless the Long Beach City Council chooses to extend the order.
The ban was voted on by the Council as a way to stop the rise of vaping after worries that the practice could be linked to negative health risks for teens and young adults.
The City Council voted on the temporary ordinance on Jan. 4, 2020, which banned the sale and distribution of the product per Long Beach Municipal Code (LBMC) Chapter 5.9.
Under this code, the ban includes flavored cigarillos; flavored electronic smoking devices (such as electronic cigarettes, electronic cigars, electronic pipes, electronic hookahs, vapes, vaporizers, and vape pens); flavored electronic smoking device fluid, including nicotine and non-nicotine products; and menthol cigarettes.
Businesses are responsible for ensuring that their store is following the ordinance. If an establishment is found to be in violation of the ordinance the owner may be subject to the following fines: $100.00 for a first violation, $200.00 for a second violation, $500.00 for a third and for each subsequent violation within one year.
For more information on the ban, visit www.longbeach.gov/TREP or call the Tobacco Education and Prevention Program at (562) 570-7950 or Tobacco Retail Enforcement Program at (562) 570-7905.
