Political campaigns already are heating up for the November general election, in which voters will face six citizen-initiated measures and one that is placed on the ballot by the Legislature. One of the most hotly contested ballot fights involves a referendum on a new state law that would ban the sale of flavored-tobacco products.
California law already makes it illegal — and rightly so — for retailers to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21. The state has a strict enforcement system that can strip stores of their tobacco license. In reality, the legislation would forbid adults from buying most types of electronic cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products .
Likewise, Sweden has the lowest cancer rates in Europe because smokeless snus is the most popular nicotine-delivery choice. Some vaping flavors — bubble gum, candy — appeal to underage users. But research shows that adults who are trying to break their smoking habit prefer flavors. Amendments exempted loose-leaf pipe tobacco, hookah and high-end cigars, but the law makes no other meaningful distinctions. To protect our health, California’s lawmakers are trying to ban the safest products, thus tempting nicotine addicts to return to a more-dangerous habit. That is, to put it gently, illogical policymaking.