California voters on 8 Oct. approved a 2020 law that bans the sale of most flavoured tobacco products, reports the Los Angeles Post.
Proposition 31 was placed on the ballot shortly after Gov. Newsom signed Senate Bill 793, a bipartisan effort by the Legislature to crack down on e-cigarettes and other products popular with children. The bill banned the sale of certain flavoured tobacco products in stores and on vending machines, including menthol cigarettes, but with exceptions for shishas, premium cigars and loose-leaf tobacco.
Implementation of SB 793 was delayed after a tobacco industry referendum qualified for the November 2022 ballot, giving voters the final say on the bill’s content. A “yes” vote meant the law would go into effect, while a “no” vote would have blocked it.
California is the second state, after Massachusetts, to enact a ban on the sale of all flavoured tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. A number of California cities, including Los Angeles and San Diego, have already enacted their own bans.