Aug 28, 2020 - Politics & Policy

California outlaws flavored tobacco products

Jacob Knutson

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) speaking in January. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaking in January. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill into law Friday banning the sale of fruit, menthol and mint-flavored cigarettes and vaping cartridges in retailers across the state effective Jan. 1, 2021.

Why it matters: The ban is part of a wider campaign to curb youth vaping, though the legislation does not apply to the online sale of tobacco products, which cross state lines, and does not apply to flavored premium cigars and loose pipe tobacco, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

What they're saying: “Menthol cigarettes, sweet cigars, candy vapes and other flavored tobacco products serve one purpose: to mask the harshness of tobacco and get users hooked to a dangerous lifelong addiction,” California Sen. Jerry Hill, who introduced the bill, said in a statement, according to the Chronicle.

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California outlaws flavored tobacco products

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