The sale of flavored tobacco will be coming to an end in San Rafael, Calif., as city leaders voted 4-0 with one member absent on Tuesday to ban the sale of such products within the city.

As for what constitutes a flavored tobacco product, the city defines it as any tobacco product that contains a constituent that imparts a characterizing flavor, and looks to whether or not a manufacturer or any of the manufacturer’s agents or employees, in the course of their agency or employment, has made a statement or claim directed to consumers or to the public that the tobacco product has or produces a characterizing flavor. This could include text, color, and/or images on the product’s labeling or packaging that are used to explicitly or implicitly communicate that the product has a characterizing flavor.

Additionally, the city is also prohibiting pharmacies from selling any type of tobacco product.

The ban will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2021, giving retailers time to sell off existing stock and prepare to comply with the ban.

San Rafael is located just under 20 miles north of San Francisco and is home to approximately 59,000 residents.

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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.