L.A. to ban sale of menthol, candy-flavored tobacco products

The Los Angeles Metropolis Council on Wednesday handed an ordinance to ban the sale of the candy-flavored nicotine throughout town.

Officers stated L.A. is now the most populous metropolis within the nation to take flavored nicotine merchandise, together with menthol cigarettes, off retailer cabinets.

The council handed the movement with a 12-0 vote, garnering reward from well being nonprofits just like the American Coronary heart Affiliation and the American Lung Affiliation.

Officers argued that using sweet flavors, together with menthol, lured kids into attempting nicotine.

“Ending the sale of candy-flavored nicotine throughout town means tobacco firms cannot masks the harshness of cigarette smoke to make it extra interesting to kids and youths, they usually can’t use menthol to focus on the African-American neighborhood,” Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson stated in an announcement.

Following the vote, Councilman Mitch O’Farrell stated tobacco firms “can now not use candy-flavors like peach gummy or minty-menthol to lure our children into attempting nicotine, a extremely addictive substance that harms mind improvement and results in a lifetime of well being points and a shorter lifespan.”

Based on the American Lung Affiliation in California, 4 out of 5 youth who’ve used tobacco began with a flavored product.

“Sturdy measures resembling this are vital to lowering the attraction of tobacco to youth and adults and stopping e-cigarettes and new merchandise from addicting a brand new era to nicotine,” stated Dr. Richard J. Shemin, Board President of the American Coronary heart Affiliation Los Angeles.

L.A.’s new restrictions are set to enter impact in January.

Statewide, lawmakers have in 2020 permitted a ban on the sale of flavored tobacco merchandise, but it surely was placed on maintain resulting from a referendum backed by main tobacco firms.

Californians will vote this yr on whether or not the state ought to ban the sale of flavored tobacco merchandise.

“Cigarette smoking causes greater than 80% of lung most cancers deaths,” stated Primo J. Castro of the American Most cancers Society Most cancers Motion Community. “The Metropolis of L.A.’s ordinance will cease tobacco firms from concentrating on youth with fruity, mint, menthol and different sweet flavors to addict them to nicotine, and it ends Massive Tobacco’s discriminatory and lethal observe of intentionally concentrating on Black neighborhoods with advertising and marketing for menthol cigarettes.”