Fremont, Calif. Rejects Flavored Tobacco Ban

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.

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 Major League Baseball, 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.