Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 29 May 2018

San Francisco to decide whether to ban flavored tobacco

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ based JUUL that looks like a
Associated Press thumb drive.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A “A lot of kids wouldn’t nec-
major tobacco company is essarily smoke a cigarette,
pumping millions of dollars but if you hand them a little
into a campaign to per- JUUL or a vape and you tell
suade San Francisco voters them it tastes like cookies-
to reject a ban on selling and-cream or creme bru-
flavored tobacco prod- lee, they will try it out of cu-
ucts, including menthol riosity,” Ling said.
cigarettes, certain chew- JUUL did not respond to a
ing tobaccos and vaping request for comment from
liquids with flavors like cot- the AP.
ton candy, mango and Ling said there are thou-
cool cucumber. sands of nicotine-laced liq-
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. uid flavors that are attrac-
has contributed nearly $12 tive to kids and teenagers
million to the “No on Propo- who often don’t know they
sition E” campaign, filling are inhaling the stimulant,
television and radio air- which is considered harm-
waves and mailboxes with ful to the developing teen-
ads urging voters to reject age brain.
a law supervisors approved “You can buy the flavored
last year that is now on the tobacco product at any
June 5 ballot.By compari- In this May 17, 2018 photo, Miriam Zouzounis holds a Black & Mild Wine cigarillo while interviewed corner store, and it’s just so
son, ban supporters have at Ted’s Market, her family’s store, in San Francisco. easy and so accessible,”
raised $2.8 million, includ- Associated Press Ling said. “At least banning
ing more than $2 million put on hold after R.J. Reyn- cigarettes. Health experts nesses that violate the law the products that are most
from billionaire former New olds collected enough sig- say the mint in cigarettes could have their tobacco appealing to kids would
York City Mayor Michael natures to put it on the bal- helps to coat the throat sales permits suspended. give parents a fighting
Bloomberg. lot. and eases the harshness of Miriam Zouzounis, a board chance.”
Supporters say a ban would Other cities have passed tobacco smoke, making it member of the Arab Amer- Zouzounis, whose family
help stop another genera- laws reducing access to easier to become addict- ican Grocers Association, has owned a small store in
tion from getting hooked flavored tobacco and fla- ed. which represents 400 small- San Francisco’s South of
on nicotine, but critics point vored vaping liquids, but R.J. Reynolds did not reply business owners in the San Market neighborhood for
out that California already San Francisco was the first to requests for comment Francisco Bay Area, said three generations, said
raised the smoking age to in the United States to ap- from The Associated Press, the ban would remove an vaping stores and Hookah
21 and say a ban would prove an outright sales and the “No on Proposi- anchor product that at- lounges will have to close
only drive sales under- ban. It also was one of the tion E” campaign also de- tracts customers, many their doors if the ban is up-
ground. first to ban indoor smoking clined to comment. Its ads, of which are immigrant- held.
San Francisco supervisors in workplaces, bars and running in English, Spanish, owned. San Francisco politicians
last year unanimously ap- restaurants. Mandarin and Cantonese, Dr. Pamela Ling, a professor “are talking about hav-
proved a ban on sales of The spending by Big To- say San Francisco’s ban on of medicine at the University ing safe injection sites for
flavored tobacco, saying bacco shows the industry flavored tobacco is akin to of California, San Francisco drug users, they legalized
the nicotine masked in fla- fears a flavored nicotine prohibition and would lead who studies how tobacco marijuana, but they want
vors like mango, caramel ban in San Francisco could to a black market for vape is marketed to young peo- to take away an already
and mint serve as starter become a national trend, products. ple, said that while smok- heavily regulated product
products enticing kids to said Matthew Myers of the Small-business owners also ing has decreased among out of the market?” she
become smokers. Under Campaign for Tobacco- oppose the ban, which teenagers, e-cigarette use said, noting the age limit on
the ordinance, smoke juic- Free Kids, which supports they say will hurt business is increasing, in part be- tobacco buyers, plus the li-
es that taste like tobacco the ban. because people can still cause of flavored nicotine cense and fees required to
would still be allowed. The maker of Newport, the buy flavored “e-liquid” and products and novel vap- sell tobacco.
The ordinance was set to top-selling menthol brand tobacco products in neigh- ing devices, including one “It just doesn’t make
take effect in April but was in the country, also sells e- boring cities or online. Busi- made by San Francisco- sense.”q