Several big tobacco companies, including R.J. Reynolds, have filed a request to the U.S. Supreme Court asking it to stop California from enforcing its flavoured tobacco ban, reports the Merced Sun-Star.

The Californian ban on flavoured tobacco products had been approved by a large majority of voters and the ban is set to take effect on 21 December, making California the second US state, after Massachusetts, to prohibit the sale of all flavoured tobacco products. R.J. Reynolds had already filed a federal lawsuit to challenge the ban, but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on denied the company’s emergency motion to block the law pending appeal, reports the Merced Sun-Star.
In the filing, the tobacco majors argue that the authority to ban flavoured products rests in federal law and that they would face “irreparable harm” should they no longer be able to sell their products in one of the biggest markets in the US. R.J. Reynolds states that menthol cigarettes account for one-third of the Californian cigarette market and Modoral Brands Inc., a company that only produces flavoured tobacco products says it will lose millions if the ban were to go ahead. In the filing, the companies say that small retail shops may be forced to lay off staff or close as a result of the ban.
Advocates of the ban say it is necessary as flavoured cigarettes and vaping products are still too easy to obtain for teens. The ban will disallow the sale of flavoured cigarettes, including menthol, and all flavoured tobacco products for vaping systems. Possession of such products will remain legal, however retailers found to be selling the products will face fines of up to USD 250.