On December 21, California’s nicotine flavor ban finally went into effect, a little more than a month after voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 31.
The law will prohibit the sale of almost all flavored nicotine products—including vapes and menthol cigarettes, but excluding hookah and some premium cigars.
Many people who switch from cigarettes to vapes find flavors helpful, or even crucial, in doing so. Previous vape flavor bans, like one enacted in San Francisco, have led to increased smoking in some populations. Some vapers will also still find ways to obtain their preferred products. But in other ways, the landscape that will now emerge across the state is hard to predict.
The legislation behind Prop. 31, SB 793, was technically passed by lawmakers in 2020, but had been delayed following sustained pushback from the nicotine industry and tobacco harm reduction (THR) proponents. Reynolds and other companies had given much of the funding for the campaign against Prop. 31. Billionaire Michael Bloomberg—THR’s leading adversary—almost exclusively bankrolled the committee in support, with much larger sums.
Alex Norcia – Filter – 2022-12-22.
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