A Bay Area town has enacted a comprehensive tobacco sales ban, prompting backlash from local business owners, with new restrictions on nicotine products scheduled to take effect this December.
A coastal town in the Bay Area has taken a significant step towards public health by passing a comprehensive ban on tobacco sales, despite facing opposition from small business owners. Tiburon, California, recently saw its town council unanimously approve an ordinance that prohibits the sale of all tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, vapes, e-cigarettes, and other nicotine items. This new regulation is set to take effect in December.
Tiburon Mayor Holli Thier expressed her support for the ban, stating, “I am pleased to have sponsored and voted to save lives and save our environment.” She emphasized the urgency of the situation, noting that local youth in Marin County are vaping at twice the national average. “It is critical that we take all efforts to reduce teen addiction,” Thier added. “By banning all tobacco sales here in Tiburon, we are preventing youth from getting addicted and protecting our environment.” The mayor highlighted that cigarettes are a major source of single-use plastic pollution, which adversely affects rivers, bays, and oceans worldwide…