California voters supported a ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products on Tuesday. The law prohibits retail locations and vending machines from selling products such as menthol cigs, grape Backwoods, and most Swisher Sweets across the state. It does not place any restrictions on the consumption of those products however.
The law was previously approved by the California State Legislature in 2020 but was put on hold after facing stiff opposition from the tobacco industry. This tactic allowed for flavored tobacco products to be sold for an additional two years after the state banned them. In that time, major tobacco brands collected hundreds of millions of dollars in profits, according to the Yes on Prop 31 campaign.
Supporters of the ballot referendum known as Prop 31 say that flavored tobacco products mask the unpleasant taste of tobacco, making them especially attractive to underage users and young adults. They also blame the tobacco industry for aggressively marketing menthol products to Black smokers; contributing to tens-of-thousands of unnecessary Black deaths annually.
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