Last month, the Los Angeles City Council voted for city attorneys to draft a ban on selling flavored tobacco products. A coalition of youth and public health advocates have been pushing for the ban, arguing liquid-pod e-cigarettes, and fruity and minty flavors of tobacco products are a pathway to nicotine addiction for teenagers.
The popularity of e-cigarettes and vaping has exploded, and their users continue to get younger. E-cigarette manufacturers have boasted about their products being safer than tobacco cigarettes, but current data has a different story to tell. The Los Angeles e-cigarette explosion attorneys at JML Law are here to investigate.
Building a ban on the council floor
The Los Angeles City Hall recently debated whether or not to allow for exemptions to the proposed ban. Virginia Escamilla, a volunteer for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network said, “Kids don’t smoke regular tobacco because it’s gross, and the tobacco companies know this….Flavored products are Big Tobacco’s sad, sad ploy to addict a whole new generation to this drug.”
Council members commented on young tobacco users being more attracted to flavored products because tobacco products are sold by advertising them like they are candy or bubble gum.
Ahead of the June vote, hookah sellers presented the argument that flavored shisha tobacco products are a valued tradition for Arabs, Armenians, and other communities. Some asserted menthol cigarettes should be excluded from the ban because it is unfair to single out products “used disproportionately by Black smokers.” The ban caused dissenters to march outside City Hall.
After studies showed around 25% of college students began using nicotine products after initially using hookah products, public health advocates sided with a ban on all flavored tobacco. Community activists argued there was nothing discriminatory about banning menthol cigarettes which cause sickness and death in the black community.
Council members exempted some hookah tobacco sales from the ban, opting to include menthol cigarettes in the ban. Exemptions were added for some hookah products sold in existing and legally operated smokers’ lounges.
West Hollywood, Long Beach, and some other California counties have already passed similar bans on flavored tobacco products. Because a state law prohibiting such sales is currently stalled after a tobacco industry-backed referendum was proposed for the November 2022 ballot, the Los Angeles city council will draft this ban to hopefully fill the gap.
When should I contact a lawyer
If you or someone you care about has been injured or become ill after using vaping products, you may be entitled to compensation. The Los Angeles product liability attorneys at JML Law are dedicated to investigating your case and helping you recover from the damages done. The big corporations will not intimidate us as we work to secure you the compensation that may include:
- Coverage of medical bills related to the injury
- Recovering lost income
- Pain and suffering damages
- Loss of enjoyment of life damages
- Punitive damages
Contact our Los Angeles e-cigarette attorneys by clicking here for a free consultation or by calling us at 818-610-8800.