The Fremont City Council became an exception to the trend of Bay Area cities banning flavored tobacco products, rejecting a proposal this week though leaving the door open to revisiting it in the fall.
While the flavored tobacco products ban did not receive enough support at its first reading, the council gave its initial approval to some new laws that will affect the sales of tobacco in the city, requiring that any pack of 20 cigarettes, 20 little cigars or five cigars be sold for no less than $8, and that single cigars must have a minimum price of $5, changes that the council feels will help deter their appeal to youth and younger consumers. The council must still take a second vote on the matter, which will likely happen in September, according to a report by MercuryNews.com. It’s at that point that the flavored tobacco products ban could be revisited.
The council is also considering the establishment of a tobacco retailer licensing requirement.
With the council’s rejection of the proposal they will not join a group that includes San Francisco, Alameda, San Rafael, Berkeley, Livermore and Oakland. Additionally, the state’s capitol city, Sacramento, has also passed its own ban. A ban at the state level failed earlier this year.
Fremont is home to approximately 235,000 residents. It is located just under 30 miles south of Oakland.