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August 25, 2020

California Will Become the 5th State to Ban Flavors

Nov. 9, 2022 update

Yesterday, more than two years after Governor Newsom signed SB 793 into law, California voters overwhelmingly approved the law in a statewide referendum (Proposition 31). Today it was challenged in federal court by R.J. Reynolds and others.

Nov. 25 update

The California flavor ban will go on hold until November 2022 after a signature-gathering campaign forced the bill to a referendum by voters.

Aug. 28 update

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 793 into law today, soon after the California Senate passed the bill (again). It will go into effect Jan. 1, 2021.

The California Assembly today passed SB 793, a bill that will ban the sales of flavored vaping products in brick-and-mortar stores. The bill, if it becomes law, will also ban sales of menthol cigarettes, and flavored smokeless tobacco and small cigars.

The vape ban bill will now be reconciled with the already-passed state Senate version (which requires another vote in the Senate), then go to Governor Gavin Newsom to be signed into law. Newsom has already indicated he will sign the bill.

The amendments in the final Assembly version of the bill include exemptions to the flavor ban for hookah products, pipe tobacco and premium cigars. The independent vaping industry—once a force that turned out hundreds of vapers and vape shop owners to oppose California legislation—was barely able to muster any opposition at all, although thousands of individual vapers responded to calls to action and sent messages to legislators opposing the bill.

Even Juul Labs and the major tobacco companies were unable to successfully lobby for an exemption that would exclude products that receive PMTA approval in the future. That means a product could receive marketing approval from the FDA, but still be banned in California.

While the bill only bans sales in brick-and-mortar retailers, California passed a law last year that makes online purchases more difficult. That law placed restrictions on online and mail order sales of all vaping products, including an adult signature-on-delivery requirement.

After weeks of a pressure campaign by some black activist groups to convince minority legislators to oppose the bill based on racial justice, the Democrats who opposed it either changed their votes to yes or didn’t vote at all. The final vote was 50-0, with all 17 Republicans, 12 Democrats and one independent member not voting rather than going on record opposing the state’s powerful tobacco control interests. [Note: the vote was left open after time ran out. The votes now show 58-1.]

It is unlikely that the bill can be stopped now. Tobacco control groups support the current version of the bill—even with the unwanted exemptions for hookah, pipe tobacco and cigars. Those powerful anti-vaping/smoking groups are the real opinion leaders among state Democrats who have majorities in both houses of the California legislature.

The B&M flavor ban in California will more than double the number of Americans who no longer have access to flavored vaping products in retail stores. With 40 million residents, California is the most populous state in the country.

Assuming SB 793 becomes law, California will become the fifth state to ban face-to-face sales of flavored vaping products (the other states have also banned online sales). The states with existing flavor bans are:

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will soon decide whether to sign or veto a flavor ban bill from the state legislature. State vaping businesses are leading a campaign to persuade DeSantis to veto the flavor ban.

Smokers created vaping without help from the tobacco industry or anti-smoking crusaders, and I believe vapers have the right to continue innovating to help themselves. My goal is to provide clear, honest information about the challenges vaping faces from lawmakers, regulators, and brokers of disinformation. I’m a member of the CASAA board, but my opinions aren’t necessarily CASAA’s, and vice versa. You can find me on Twitter @whycherrywhy
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Mark
Mark
2 years ago

They’re trying to say it’s because of minors, but that’s BS. What about flavored alcoholic beverages? Parents need to be better parents instead of shifting the blame and just lobbying to ban flavored vapes. Now ADULTS are going to have a choice ripped away because of it. I smoked for 17 years before I switched to vape 5 years ago.
I guess I’m going back to cigarettes…

Parker
Parker
1 year ago
Reply to  Mark

I will also go back to cigarettes as most adult vapors will. There will be more pollution & more strain on the health care system because of the flavored eliquid ban. Such an idiotic ban.

Trewhitt Trewhitt
Trewhitt Trewhitt
2 years ago
Reply to  Jim McDonald

so online bussiness is not affact by the laws?

Rich
Rich
2 years ago
Reply to  Jim McDonald

Hi Jim, would a CA retailer be able to sell products to CA residents via ecommerce? I just wanted to confirm this information.

Sheetster
Sheetster
2 years ago
Reply to  Jim McDonald

How long before they take the next step and make it completely illegal?

Alexandre Kleis
Alexandre Kleis
2 years ago
Reply to  Jim McDonald

So I tried to order online, but at checkout, because my address is San Francisco I cannot complete the buying

Mason
Mason
2 years ago
Reply to  Jim McDonald

And my order requires an adult signature? I work, how am I suppose to sign for a package if I’m not present? I cannot order online.

Dizzleslaunsen
Dizzleslaunsen
2 years ago
Reply to  Mason

In my experience most of the time even when it says a signature is required they still just leave it

Kathy
Kathy
2 years ago
Reply to  Dizzleslaunsen

Have it delivered to your work, pickup at the Post office or have a friend sign for it.

Breanna
Breanna
2 years ago

Politicians rack in all this money & raise taxes to the extreme to “fight against Big Tobacco”, you know, to “help the kids!” (lol, yeah right) but will work to destroy their competition for them & line their own pockets with cash in the process. I’m not against the tobacco industry, nor am I against the vaping industry- I think grown adults should have the right to make their own decisions… But I am strongly against politicians that think it’s righteous of them to destroy the alternatives people have found to cigarettes & try to block these alternatives so people… Read more »

AngryCalifornian
AngryCalifornian
2 years ago

Asinine legislatures. Please remove them from office next voting cycle.

Trueea1
Trueea1
2 years ago

They’re only doing this so people buy cigarettes instead and they get their money which is from cigarettes taxes ?

Joel
Joel
2 years ago

Question so i read that camifornias cpuld still sell Vape online so does this mean if a Californian vape store closes Its doors to face to face customers and put all thwur retail online could you order from the same local store and tbey woild just mail it to you and that way iy gwts to you much wuicker i orderwd pods and its taking a week to get to me So i rely on my locaL store to sell me pods in the meantime bht xould they instead sell it to me online and just mail it to me??… Read more »