California Town Bans All Tobacco Sales
Stock photo of Tiburon. (Getty Images / Wirestock)
A small town just north of San Francisco has enacted what is being called the strictest tobacco sales ban in the United States. On Wednesday, the Tiburon Town Council voted unanimously to prohibit the sale of all tobacco and nicotine products within the southern Marin County community—including cigarettes, cigars, and vaping devices. The new law also bans tobacco deliveries and goes further than similar measures in California cities such as Manhattan Beach and Beverly Hills, where exemptions exist for hotels or cigar lounges, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Tiburon is the first U.S. town to implement such a ban with no exceptions, the Marin Independent Journal reports.
The ordinance may have faced fewer obstacles in Tiburon, as town manager Greg Chanis noted that no retailers currently sell tobacco products in the community. The initiative was sparked by three local high school students, according to KTVU, and received backing from youth advocates, including members of Marin County’s Youth Action Committee, who highlighted the risks of smoking and vaping. The only formal opposition came from the California Fuels and Convenience Alliance, which represents small gas stations and convenience stores.
Tiburon, home to roughly 9,000 residents, is also requiring landlords to include anti-smoking clauses in leases for multiunit properties. The law, which takes effect in December, allows residents to file civil complaints against repeat violators and sets fines ranging from $250 to $1,000 per incident. Sales violations will be treated as misdemeanors. The move builds on California’s previous decision to raise the legal age for tobacco purchases from 18 to 21.
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