Palo Alto, Calif. Moves Towards Full Ban on Flavored Tobacco, E-Cigarettes

Palo Alto, Calif. seems ready to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products as well as e-cigarettes at all stores within the city.

On Monday, the City Council unanimously supported a measure that would extend the city’s prohibition of e-cigarettes and flavored tobacco products to all stores.

Earlier this year, a new law went into effect that allowed for “adult-only tobacco stores” to continue to sell those products, while banning their sale at all other stores. Adult-only tobacco stores are defined as stores that generate at least 60 percent of its revenue from tobacco products and accessories; prohibit those under the age of 21 from entering the store without a guardian and do not sell food or alcohol for on-site consumption.

The new law could also ban the use of e-cigarettes and vapor products in public.

It’s unclear when a second reading could take place. Currently, the measure is not listed on the Dec. 16, 2019 meeting agenda.

Palo Alto is located 25 miles southeast of San Francisco. It is one of the key cities of California’s Silicon Valley, home to Hewlett-Packard, SSL, Tesla, VMWare and others. It has a population of roughly 65,000 residents.