On August 15, Long Beach will begin to enforce its ban on the sale and distribution of certain flavored tobacco products, including vape products, flavored cigarillos and menthol cigarettes.
“The City is committed to protecting young people and promoting public health,” Mayor Robert Garcia said. “These tobacco products have been directly linked to serious health concerns by doctors and health experts.”
The ban was first considered by the Long Beach City Council in 2019 and then approved on April 13 of last year. Non-compliance by businesses may result in legal action including citations, and/or denial, suspension or revocation of any permit.
The ban will certainly affect business owners who sell these products. As nicotine vapes and other products have increased in popularity, so have sales. When the ordinance came into effect on May 16 of this year, it included a 90-day moratorium so retailers could sell off their existing products.
Studies released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have shown an overall increase in the use of electronic smoking devices by youth, with one in five high school students using electronic smoking devices in 2020. The same dataset showed that one in twenty middle school students actively used e-cigarettes.
Compared to 2019, data from the FDA showed that youth use of any tobacco product is declining, with an estimated 1.73 million fewer youth using any tobacco product in 2020.
“One of the worst things that we can do for our youth in our upcoming generations is take away their right to make a choice,” resident Vanessa Bautista said at a city council meeting on Feb. 9. “Don’t take the business’s fate into your hands. Let California voice their opinions, exercise their vote and be educated.”
Bans on flavored tobacco products aren’t new in the State of California. Last August, the California legislature passed Senate Bill 793, which banned the sale of flavored tobacco products statewide. Flavored hookah and premium cigars were exempted under the bill and will remain exempt under Long Beach’s ban.
Initially, the bill was set to take effect on Jan. 1 of this year. However, special interest groups gathered enough signatures to delay the implementation. The statewide ban has been postponed pending the outcome of a referendum slated for the 2022 statewide election.
“Smoking and the negative outcomes disproportionately do affect Black people and communities of color,” Councilmember Al Austin said at a Feb. 9 council meeting. “The moral thing to do, the right thing to do would be to support this permanent ban.”
Long Beach’s ordinance has a built-in sunset that would trigger upon the passage of such legislation.
“I am so glad to lead this effort at the City Council and for this policy moving forward,” Councilmember Suzie Price said in a statement. “When we see flavored tobacco products targeted toward children and teens leading to rising youth addiction rates, it is important to protect the health of the whole community with a common sense approach.”
