California Legislature Approves Bills to Strengthen Enforcement of Flavored Tobacco Law and Protect Kids from Addiction

California Legislature Approves Bills to Strengthen Enforcement of Flavored Tobacco Law and Protect Kids from Addiction

Statement of Yolonda C. Richardson, President and CEO, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
August 29, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The California Legislature has taken important steps to protect kids from the tobacco industry by passing two bills to strengthen enforcement of the state's landmark law ending the sale of flavored tobacco products. On January 1, 2023, California implemented one of the nation's strongest laws prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco products, including flavored e-cigarettes and menthol cigarettes, but tobacco and e-cigarette companies have worked to evade the law and keep their kid-addicting products on store shelves. The newly passed bills crack down on these efforts and will help ensure the law works as intended to stop these companies from targeting and addicting kids, Black communities and other populations with flavored products. We urge Governor Newsom to sign these bills into law.

One bill (AB 3218) requires the state Attorney General to establish and maintain a list of unflavored tobacco products, putting the onus on the tobacco industry to demonstrate that a product does not have a flavor and can be legally sold in California. The bill also updates the definition of a prohibited "characterizing flavor" to include products that impart a menthol-like cooling sensation, thereby making it illegal to sell the menthol-like cigarettesthat tobacco companies introduced to evade California's prohibition on the sale of menthol cigarettes. The second bill (SB 1230) authorizes the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration to seize illegal, flavored tobacco products discovered during routine tobacco tax inspections.

We applaud the California leaders who have championed these bills, including Assemblymember Jim Wood, Attorney General Rob Bonta, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senator Susan Rubio. They are ensuring that California's law works as intended to protect kids from tobacco addiction, advance health equity and save lives.