San Jose residents will soon no longer be able to find menthol cigarettes or vapes that come in fruity, candied or minty flavours in stores across the city, reports The Mercury News.

The San Jose City Council has unanimously passed a new ordinance banning the sale of flavoured e-cigarettes and menthol cigarettes to prevent teens from becoming addicted to nicotine. Once the measure is fully implemented, the Capital of Silicon Valley will become the largest city in the US to ban menthol cigarettes and the biggest city in California to ban flavoured e-cigarettes, the report said.
“I think it’s an important first step to making sure we keep these very dangerous, very addictive products not only out of the hands of our children but really off of their radar,” said Councilwoman Magdalena Carrasco.
Under the new ordinance, passed on 28 Sept, San Jose’s more than 650 tobacco retailers are prohibited from selling flavoured vapes and menthol cigarettes. It also prohibits new tobacco retailers from opening a store within 500 feet of another smoke shop or within 1,000 feet of a school, park, community centre or library. Tobacco retailers have until 30 June 2022, to deplete the newly prohibited products before facing fines or further enforcement action.
Despite opposition from public health and anti-tobacco advocates, the city has opted to carve out an exemption for the sale of flavoured shishas.