Starting 1 January 2021, the sale of flavoured tobacco products in the US state of California will be banned following a “surge in youth nicotine consumption.”
Governor Gavin Newsom signed the flavoured tobacco ban bill, which affects electronic cigarette and vaping products, with the aim of targeting the fruit, chocolate, candy, and dessert flavours lawmakers believe have led to increased use among young people.
A 2019 report by the California Department of Public Health found that more than five million youth used e-cigarettes in 2019, and that over 80% began doing so because of flavoured products.
While the ban won’t see retailers face criminal charges for selling flavoured electronic cigarette and vaping products, they could be fined up to $250 for doing so.
Days after the ban was announced, a similar ban in Florida was vetoed by governor Ron DeSantis who said that such a ban would “almost assuredly lead more people to resume smoking cigarettes.” Similarly, a recent report by Public Health England revealed that vapers in the UK said that banning flavoured liquids would deter them from using vaping products to help them quit smoking.
