The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) upheld the state law prohibiting tobacco retailers from selling all flavored tobacco products on Nov. 8, 2022.
According to an article by the CDPH, the ban includes electronic cigarettes, menthol cigarettes, as well as tobacco-product flavor enhancers in retail locations in accordance with the Health and Safety Code Section 104559.5.
Although the ban has been in effect for almost a year, Barrett Spencer, Goodfellas Smoke and Gift Shop employee, said he doesn't believe the ban has stopped underage vaping.
“If anything, it's made it worse because now kids are going out of their way to find them through other people or through sketchy sources,” Spencer said.
Spencer said there are multiple young looking people coming into his workplace asking for banned tobacco products.
“Now, the youth are going out of their way when they shouldn't be for vapes that they shouldn't have gotten addicted to in the first place.” Spencer said.
Spencer also said he didn't smoke a “vape” or an e-cigarette until the age of 22, but now sees his 15 and 16-year-old cousins “puffing everyday.”
Flavorings in tobacco products can make them more appealing to youth, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention article.
In 2021, 80.2% of high school students and 74.6% of middle school students who used tobacco products in the past 30 days reported using a flavored tobacco product during that time, according to the same article.
In 2022, 85.5% of high school students and 81.5% of middle school students who used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days reported using a flavored e-cigarette during that time, according to the same article.
Mohammed Saeidah, another employee at Goodfellas Smoke Shop, said customers who look underage are still coming into the smoke shop on a daily basis.
“We don't know if they're underage, but they do look young,” Saeidah said. “They come in and ask for vaping vapes and vape products all the time.”
Saeidah said while the flavored tobacco ban had good intentions, it was not well thought out.
“The youth that are vaping, they're already hooked,” Saeidah said. “You would think taking the supply away would make them stop but no, somehow they're still finding the products they want to feed their addiction.”
Saeidah said for some youth, it is too late and the addiction has already taken over.
Social Work senior, Selina Altamirano said flavored tobacco often had flavors that attracted the youth community, with flavors like “cotton candy.”
“I believe they implemented the ban for a good reason, to get young people away from these types of harmful products, however, it does not seem to be working,” Altamirano said.
She also said even with the ban, she has seen people leave smoke shops with flavored tobacco products.
“I’ve seen retailers hiding them behind the counter, and if someone asks for them, they'll sell them the product,” Altamirano said.
Retailers found guilty of an infraction could be fined $250 for violating this law, according to the CDPH.
Quitting vaping can be easier if one plans in advance and follows a set plan, according to an article from Smokefree Teen.
Smokefree Teen is a website that helps youth quit their tobacco use habits.
Planning to quit vaping or smoking is critical, as well as doing so at a low-stress period of time, according to the same article from Smokefree Teen.
The Department of Health and Human has a helpline for tobacco users seeking help to quit using tobacco products.
