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- 24 June 2019
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20 June 2019
A city that is home to famous celebrities and known for luxury hotels and shopping has announced an end date for tobacco sales. By January 1, 2021, there will be a ban on the sale of most tobacco products in Beverly Hills, California. This policy was adopted following public consultations and recommendations from the city’s Health and Safety Commission, according to a City Council Statement.
Tobacco products include cigarettes, cigars, dissolvable products, electronic cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and water pipes. The ordinance will affect tobacco retailers, including gas stations, convenience stores and pharmacies. However, it will exempt cigar lounges and allow hotels to sell tobacco products to guests.
There are 28 establishments in Beverly Hills that have permits to sell tobacco products, three of which are cigar lounges. Several of these businesses have protested the ordinance, citing loss of revenue, though there is an exemption for retailers that demonstrate the ban would cause undue hardship.
The City Council said it will review the impact on tourism in three years. National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) said the Beverly Hills ordinance will not reduce tobacco usage. “Adults will simply drive to adjacent cities to purchase their preferred tobacco products,” said NATO Executive Director Thomas Briant,
“The fact that Beverly Hills kids will not be able to access cigarettes and e-cigarettes means that there will be a generation of kids who is free from the enslaving addiction to the tobacco industry’s lethal and addictive products. That is something to celebrate. Beverly Hills has found a good way to prevent another tobacco holocaust,” stated GGTC Executive Director Bungon Ritthiphakdee.
For more information, see:
- City Council Recommends Prohibiting the Sale of All Tobacco Products in Beverly Hills (May 2019). Available at
http://www.beverlyhills.org/cbhfiles/storage/files/9886136951947789006/Tobacco5719.pdf - Recognize Tobacco in its Many Forms. Available at
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/recognize-tobacco-its-many-forms - Health and Safety commission recommendations for an ordinance prohibiting the sale of all tobacco products (07 May 2019). Available at
https://beverlyhills.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=49&clip_id=6593&meta_id=398219 - Beverly Hills to ban the sale of nearly all tobacco products. It’s the first US city to institute such a sweeping crackdown (5 June 2019). Available at
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/05/us/beverly-hills-tobacco-ban-trnd/index.html - World No Tobacco Day: It’s Time to Remember the Cigarette Holocaust (31 May 2019). Available at
https://ggtc.world/2019/05/31/world-no-tobacco-day-its-time-to-remember-the-cigarette-holocaust/