California Attorney General Rob Bonta Friday filed a brief in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in support of Los Angeles County’s ordinance banning the sale of flavored tobacco products.
In the brief, Bonta argues that the federal Tobacco Control Act preserves state and local authority to implement sales restrictions on flavored tobacco products — as several courts have already recognized in similar cases brought by tobacco manufacturers and retailers against other state and local ordinances.
“Again, and again, Big Tobacco has tried to steamroll state and local governments’ efforts to safeguard the health of their youngest residents in order to protect their bottom line,” Bonta said in a statement. “We have a responsibility to protect Californians from the harms of tobacco use, and a legal right to implement regulations that do so.
“Every year, hundreds of thousands of Americans will die from a tobacco-related disease, and many more will smoke a cigarette for the first time, starting down the deadly path toward addiction,” Bonta said. “We fully support the county of Los Angeles and their defense of this important ordinance.”
Tobacco use is the number one preventable killer in the United States, resulting in more deaths than the number of people who die from alcohol, AIDS, car accidents, illegal drugs, murder, and suicides — combined. Every day, thousands of young people will use a tobacco product for the first time, and many of those tobacco products will be flavored. In California alone, 36.5% of high school students report using tobacco products. Of those, 86.4% reporting using a flavored product, according to the AG’s office.
States and their localities have served as “laboratories” for the development of new tobacco policy for decades, Bonta’s office said.
Recognizing that flavored tobacco products drive tobacco use initiation — especially among young people — states and localities around the country have implemented prohibitions on the retail sale of flavored tobacco products. In California alone, at least 71 cities and counties have prohibited the sale of all flavored tobacco products to consumers.
On Aug. 28, California became the second state in the nation to pass statewide restrictions on the sale of flavored tobacco products. Tobacco manufacturers and retailers have challenged many of the laws and ordinances, but, in every instance so far, courts have upheld restrictions on the sale of flavored tobacco products, finding them constitutional and in line with the Tobacco Control Act.
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Confused says
All I see here are stats about smoking cigarettes. But they aren’t banning cigarettes. They are banning vape juice. All of your CDC statistics simply don’t apply. And although I am too lazy to look up the actual statistics, I know that vaping has been the only thing that has allowed smokers (myself included) to quit smoking cigarettes. So you are using these smoking statistics to take away the one thing that is helping to lower those statistics. Makes no sense to me. Why not ban cigarettes then? They are the real killers here!
Smoking Costs says
** Cost of Smoking-Related Illness **
Smoking-related illness in the US costs more than $300bn each year, including:
– Nearly $170bn for direct medical care for adults
– More than $156bn in lost productivity, including $5.6bn in lost productivity due to secondhand smoke exposure
Source: CDC (2017 Nov 6).
botttom and company says
Smoking critics have the superior point. But they never make account for the fact that 9 out of 10 smokers live long pleasant lives. And that’s a staggering number of healthy people. And furthermore, secondhand smoke is an unpleasant condition that absolutely smells bad. But the notion that it kills is nonsense.
Tim Scott says
That is a lot of healthy people, and good on them. However, every unhealthy person is a cost, and we all share that cost. When the real situation is “nine out of ten all I get is pleasure, and if not I am a burden to everyone” there is some reasonableness to everyone as a collective having a say in that choice.
Expensive Habit says
** Smoking costs the US billions of dollars each year **
Total economic cost of smoking is more than $300bn a year, including:
– Nearly $170bn in direct medical care for adults
– More than $156bn in lost productivity due to premature death and exposure to secondhand smoke
Source: CDC (2018 Feb 22)
Smoking Death Numbers says
** Cigarettes and Death **
Cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the US each year.
Cigarette smoking is estimated to cause the following:
More than 480k deaths annually (including deaths from secondhand smoke)
278,544 deaths annually among men (including deaths from secondhand smoke)
201,773 deaths annually among women (including deaths from secondhand smoke)
Source: CDC (2015 Aug 17)
Tim Scott says
The tobacco industry pays a lot of taxes and “creates” a lot of jobs. I am sure Beecee and the republicans will tell us that a mere half a million dead per year is worth it.
Humans are a renewable resource, but a profit missed can never be made up. That’s basic Republican doctrine.
Not a fan says
“You can’t let a crisis go to waste” is The Democractic Fools Doctrine. Many of you out there.
Preakness says
So, the Republican Doctrine is to “Always let a crisis go to waste.” They did that with with 9/11 by invading the wrong country, Katrina by Brownie doin’ a heck-of-a-job, COVID, “It’s a hoax that will disappear by Easter 2020. Yeah, and Jesus showed up to proclaim it.
You obviously don’t know what is meant by the quote you used. A crisis can be an opportunity for competence something you and the GOP are clueless about.
I bet you have an obtuse reading of “Black Lives Matter” as well. In fact, I’ll bet there are loads of things you are obtuse about. Please list them.
Preakness says
It was interesting that while textile jobs were disappearing, tobacco companies were still being subsized by the government. Some jobs are more important than others. And the government was also suing tobacco companies while subsidizing them.
Right now, the Republican Party is an out-dated institution concerned with things that won’t take this country very far in the 21st century. They are like the color “avodado” from the 70s. Never again. Never, ever again.
Read their comments here. Then , mulitply that by millions and you have an uninformed, provincial demographic that if left to their devices would destroy this country.
Tim Scott says
Accurate.
I don't... says
Do you really believe the CDC?
Sodium Pentothal says
Do you believe Trump or any Republican on this or any other issues? They lie you know.
So, whose advice do you accept and follow on health issues?
Y’see. Your comment leaves more questions for you.
Last Cigarette says
Cost of Smoking-Related Illness
– Smoking-related illness in the US costs more than $300bn each year
– Nearly $170bn for direct medical care for adults
– More than $156bn in lost productivity, including $5.6bn in lost productivity due to secondhand smoke exposure
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/economics/econ_facts/index.htm#economic-costs
Tim Scott says
Anyone surprised that Beecee wants to make a stand for allowing tobacco companies to target market to children?
Beecee says
Children???
Lol
Tim Scott says
Yes Beecee…who do you think the tobacco companies are targeting with candy flavored products?
Has there been no one here with a brain in my absence? How did…this…become the troll for the right wingers? I could find third graders that could outduel this in a battle of wits while they play a video game at the same time. What happened to the at least lucid right wingers?
Tim Scott says
LOLOL…yeah I play some video games. Benefit of early retirement.
And tell us Beecee…why do you think so many communities, including ours, are moving to ban candy flavored tobacco products? What do you think the purpose of such a ban would be?
Then we can move on…why do you think the only people who oppose such bans are politicians who are deep in the pocket of the tobacco lobby? Why do you think they want kids hooked on nicotine Beecee? I mean, I know you consider 30,000 dead a small price to pay for good ol’ republican policy…but children Beecee? Really?
Beecee says
Wait….
California might ban flavored cigars and Tobacco products, aka blunt wraps…..
Maybe republicans might have a stab at Cali one more time, lol
Mark my words, this isn’t going anywhere.
Beecee says
Wooooo-weee
The natives will be restless
Heo says
you are weird
Sodium Pentothal says
Hey, Beecee was born that way. We should accept people who can’t change who they are, y’know, like Hitler, Charles Manson and Beecee.