Members of a city council in Orange County declined a proposal to pursue a total sales ban of vaping products and flavored tobacco.
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. — In a simple majority of three to two, the City Council of Laguna Beach had decided to decline the possibility of banning the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products within the city limits.
Vaping Post previously reported that the council was set to discuss the issue raised by council member George Weiss. Weiss said that these sorts of products, especially vaping and electronic cigarettes, should be banned from all licensed retailers in the city of Laguna Beach in order to halt the ongoing epidemic of youth nicotine abuse ostensibly linked to brands like Juul and Puff Bar. However, the latest development suggests that the council members in majority are comfortable with the regulatory crackdowns happening at the state and federal levels. Notably, the US Food and Drug Administration has issued thousands of marketing denial orders to vape manufacturers all over the US. Juul remains on the market for the time being, but a decision regarding the premarket tobacco applications for Juul products is yet to be made by the agency.
Seeing this, the majority of the Laguna Beach council found no purpose, or really any interest, in pursuing local legislation envisioned by Weiss and colleague Toni Iseman, also a member of the city council, who voted in favor of establishing a task force to investigate the benefits and implications of a citywide prohibition.
Student reporters for the nonprofit Voice of OC news service highlight the justification for the vote.
One council member, Susan Kempf, said that she voted for the majority because many products like cigarettes are lawful, “like it or not.”
“I’d like us to spend more time trying to enforce what we already have in the books, which is to keep going after people who decide to smoke out in public, ” said Kempf.
” Vaping is deliberately aimed at kids; it’s an addiction toy, and big tobacco knows what they’re doing,” said Iseman in remarks. There is no substantive proof that vaping devices are so-called ‘addiction toys.’
