SAN FRANCISCO TAKES FIRST STEP TO BAN E-CIGS

City outlawed sales of flavored tobacco and flavored vaping liquids in 2018.

June 20, 2019 

SAN FRANCISCO—In an effort to crack down on underage vaping, San Francisco has taken the first step to block the sale of e-cigarettes citywide, reports CBS News. This week, city leaders voted unanimously to ban the sale of e-cigs within the city limits, and if the legislation passes on a second vote, it will go to the mayor for a signature. If signed, the law would take effect in six to seven months.

As reported in NACS Daily in March, supporters of the measure hope that by banning the sale of e-cigarettes, young people’s access to them will be thwarted. “Think of the health cost and think of what is going to happen to our youth,” said Vallie Brown of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. “It is unacceptable.”

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who co-sponsored and drafted the legislation, said cities and states are taking action because the FDA has “totally abdicated its responsibility to do the review that they should have done.”

The FDA says that e-cigarette manufacturers must get their products approved by 2022. But the products are already on the market, he noted.

San Francisco banned the sale of flavored tobacco and flavored vaping liquids last year, and lawmakers are not alone in concerns about underage tobacco use. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids claims that nearly 30 cities have outlawed the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored tobacco products.

Juul Labs, which has most of the e-cigarette market share, has responded by proposing a ballot initiative in San Francisco that aims to tighten youth access to tobacco products while allowing adults to purchase them. If passed, that would stop the ban. In a statement to CBS News, Juul said the company will continue to work to enact stronger regulation and enforcement rather than complete prohibition, CBS reports.