Yolo County, Calif. Passes Ban on Flavored Tobacco

By next spring, sales of all flavored tobacco products will be illegal in the unincorporated parts of Yolo County, Calif., located just northwest of Sacramento.

At its October 25 meeting, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors passed the ban by a 3-1 vote with one supervisor abstaining, according to a report from the Daily Democrat. It is being billed as a way to close a loophole in FDA regulations that prohibited the sales of flavored cigarettes but allowed for flavorings in other tobacco products, including cigars, cigarillos, chewing tobacco, snus, electronic cigarettes, and e-juice.

The ban will go into effect on May 1, 2017, which gives retailers affected by the ban 180 days to sell off their remaining inventory, an amendment that was approved during the meeting.

The board also took the first steps in approving a proposal that would allow persons age 18 to 21 to sell tobacco products again. The minimum age was increased after California passed an increase to the minimum age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21 earlier this year.

Yolo County is home to approximately 205,000 residents.