Oakland bans sale of flavored, menthol tobacco products in tobacco stores, pharmacies

Oakland bans sale of flavored, menthol tobacco products in tobacco stores, pharmacies

The Oakland City Council unanimously voted May 12 to ban the sale of flavored and menthol tobacco products at all tobacco retailers, closing the so-called “tobacco store” loophole in the city’s 2017 ordinance. The exemption had permitted retailers to continue selling flavored tobacco at “adult-only” tobacco stores. As detailed by ASPiRE CAB member Paul Cummings at our CAB meeting last year, the exemption resulted in a dramatic increase in adult-only stores, with many retailers simply setting up a sequestered adult-only part of their stores so they could continue to sell flavored products. Most were located in low-income neighborhoods whose residents are people of color. The council also voted to require on-site purchase of tobacco products and mandate a minimum package size and price for cigars, cigarillos and cigarettes. Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said, “This measure is necessary to prevent flavored tobacco products from addicting a new generation of kids and reversing the enormous progress we have made in reducing youth tobacco use.”

Watch a CBS TV story about the vote.
Read a news release from the CTFK.