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00 <br /> American <br /> Heart <br /> Association. <br /> February 28, 2022 <br /> The Honorable Vicente Sarmiento, Mayor <br /> Santa Ana City Council <br /> 20 Civic Center Plaza <br /> Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br /> RE: Ending the Sale of Flavored Tobacco in Santa Ana <br /> Dear Mayor Sarmiento and Members of the Santa Ana City Council: <br /> The American Heart Association supports ending the sale of all flavored tobacco products in the City of Santa Ana to <br /> protect youth and communities of color from these addictive and deadly products. We urge you to pass a <br /> comprehensive ordinance that ends the sale of all flavored tobacco products without exemptions. <br /> With over 30 percent of high school students now using tobacco, the need for a comprehensive policy is clear. The <br /> tobacco industry is actively and aggressively working to addict new users with easy access to sweet and candy-flavored <br /> tobacco products. All flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, menthol cigarettes, hookah (shisha), and cigars <br /> come in kid-friendly flavors and are highly addicting. <br /> Flavored hookah (shisha) has become popular among youth and young adults. According to the California Department of <br /> Public Health, smoking shisha is most common among individuals between the ages of 18-24 years. Hookah is appealing <br /> to young people in large part because of the flavors it comes in, such as gummy bear, horchata, and mango. Ending the <br /> sale of all flavored tobacco products without exemptions will reduce access to the products that are the tobacco <br /> industry's key strategy for targeting and addicting new smokers, particularly youth and communities of color. <br /> While SB 793 was signed by the Governor in the Fall of 2020 to end the sale of most flavored tobacco products in <br /> California, tobacco companies spent more than $20 million to place the law on hold until the next statewide general <br /> election. Santa Ana kids can't wait to be protected - local action is needed to protect the community now and address <br /> the urgent issue of youth tobacco use. Every day we delay protecting youth and communities of color is a day that Big <br /> Tobacco will use mint, fruit, and candy-flavored tobacco to addict more life-long customers. <br /> Over 70 communities across California protect their residents from nicotine addiction and tobacco-related death and <br /> disease by prohibiting the sale of all flavored tobacco products. Santa Ana kids deserve these same protections. <br /> We respectfully ask your support for this vital public health policy. <br /> Thank you. <br /> Sincerely, <br /> r <br /> Jacqueline Eubany, MD, FACC, FHRS <br /> Electrophysiologist, Cardiovascular Wellness Institute <br /> Board President, Orange County & Inland Empire Division <br /> American Heart Association <br />