At its most recent meeting, the Culver City City Council passed a complete ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products that will go into effect in 2020.

The ban will go into effect in two phases; first, retailers who sell products beyond tobacco products, such as grocery and convenience stores, will have until May 25, 2020 to exhaust their inventory of flavored tobacco products. For tobacco specialty stores, those businesses that generate at least 70 percent of their gross revenues from tobacco products, they will have until Nov. 27, 2020 to do the same. From that point on, it will be illegal for any retailer in the city to sell such products.

The city did carve out an exemption for the only hookah lounge within city limits, though that exemption will expire once the business changes ownership or closes.

“By voting in favor of a citywide ban on flavored and menthol tobacco products, the City Council strives to protect the health, safety and welfare of our youth,” said Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells via a press release.

In the ordinance, the city defined a flavored tobacco product as one that has a characterizing flavor or aroma other than that of tobacco, imparted either prior to or during the consumption of said product.

Additionally, the city added language that requires all tobacco transactions to be conducted in a face-to-face manner, thus prohibiting the delivery of tobacco products or paraphernalia.

Culver City is home to nearly 40,000 residents and is located approximately 10 miles west of downtown Los Angeles.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.