Californian voters will decide on the future of a flavored tobacco ban on November 8 in the California 2022 ballot. Photo credit: Cory Doctorow, Creative Commons
Californians will decide the future of the state's flavored tobacco business through a referendum vote on whether or not to uphold a 2020 state law that bans the sale of flavored tobacco products to anyone under 21 years of age.
The passage of Proposition 31 (Prop 31), which will be on the California 2022 ballot, would outlaw the in-person sale of all flavored tobacco products and tobacco flavor enhancers in the state, according to California's Official Voter Information Guide. The ban would extend to pods for vape pens, chewing tobacco, and menthol cigarettes, but premium cigars and hookah tobacco will be exempt.
Michael Bloomberg is funding the ballot, donating US$15.3 million of the US$17.3 million raised for the Proposition 31 committee, says SF Gate.
Aside from Bloomberg, Governor Gavin Newsom and organizations such as the American Lung Association and American Heart Association, the California Teachers Association, the League of Women Voters, and other organizations support Prop 31. On the other side are tobacco advocacy groups, the Californian Republican Party, and the presidents of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and the California Taxpayer Protection Committee.
As tobacco is already outlawed for individuals under the age of 21, Prop 31 opponents argue that there are better ways to deter young people from using tobacco products, and that the ban mostly prohibits adults who want them from doing so.