“It is a flavor just like every other flavor and it would have been extremely disappointing if we had said we’re going to protect people and children from uptake of tobacco, except for the flavor that we know Black people first and Latinos second use the most.”Īccording to the U.S. “Menthol is included in this ban, as it should be,” Harris-Dawson said before the vote on June 1. The City Council was initially going to vote last June on requesting an ordinance to ban flavored tobacco with an exemption for menthol cigarettes, but the body’s three Black councilmen at the time - Mark Ridley-Thomas, Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Curren Price - amended the motion to remove that exemption, citing the high rates of Black people who smoke menthol cigarettes. This tremendous step in public health will save lives and will pave the way for other cities across the country to prioritize health above Big Tobacco profits.” “Today, the city of Los Angeles became the largest city in the United States to adopt an ordinance restricting the sale of flavored tobacco - including menthol. The American Lung Association’s National President and CEO Harold Wimmer celebrated the ordinance being signed by the mayor on Monday, saying in a statement: Under the ordinance, existing smoke lounges will be able to sell hookah products for on-site or off-site consumption, but the city’s 4,500 tobacco retail stores will be banned from selling flavored tobacco, including hookah tobacco.Ī representative for the National Association of Tobacco Outlets thanked council members before their vote for “finding a middle ground on the issue of flavored tobacco and listening to the voice of retailers throughout the city” who sought a delayed enforcement date of Jan. The ordinance, which underwent amendments in March, passed 12-0 on June 1. In June of last year, the council directed the city attorney to draft an ordinance to ban flavored tobacco and menthol cigarette sales in the city, but exempted hookah tobacco products at existing lounges. 1, 2023, and it does not ban the possession or use of flavored tobacco for people over the age of 21. The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the ordinance on June 1.

It does not ban the possession or use of flavored tobacco for people over the age of 21.Mayor Geric Garcetti singed the ban into law Monday and the law will go into effect Jan.

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the ordinance on June 1.Last year, the council directed the city attorney to draft an ordinance to ban flavored tobacco and menthol cigarette sales in the city, but exempted hookah tobacco products at existing lounges.

Lax hookah lounge