Sonoma County, Calif. Passes First Reading of Flavored Tobacco Sales Ban
On Tuesday, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved the first reading of an ordinance that will ban the sale of flavored tobacco products in unincorporated parts of the county, among several other changes.
The most notable change in Ordinance 2023-1202 is a complete ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products, as the county is utilizing a provision in the state’s ban on flavored tobacco sales to make its law stricter than that of the state’s. There is no exemption for premium cigars with a certain minimum wholesale price, loose-leaf tobacco or shisha tobacco as contained in the state’s law.
Another change contained in the ordinance is that a single “full size” cigar must have a full retail price of no less than $10.
Additionally, retailers will no longer be able to accept price promotions such as coupons or discounts, they will be prohibited from selling electronic smoking devices, and they will no longer be able to allow product sampling or smoking indoors or within 20 feet of any licensed retail establishment.
New retailers will not be allowed to open within 1,000 feet of a park or preschool, or within 500 feet of another retailer.
The ordinance must still go through a second vote, but if it passes as expected, the changes will go into effect on Dec. 7.
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.
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