Item 39 - Ordinance Prohibiting the Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products

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December 17, 2021 Honorable Mayor and Members of the Santa Ana City Council, The California Licensed Beverage Association (CALBA) has proudly represented Taverns, Nightclubs, Restaurants, Hotels and on-site and off-site liquor establishments throughout California for over 80 years. We urge you to oppose a more restrictive tobacco ordinance currently being reviewed by your Council which would ban the sale of flavored tobacco products from licensed, regulated city tobacco retailers. Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products are adult-only products for purchase for those over 21 years old. In our industry,we often see customers who are switching from combustible cigarettes to less harmful options. Banning the sale of flavored tobacco products inadvertently creates a public health risk by taking these options away from adult consumers who are trying to scale-back or quit altogether. In addition to legal tobacco sales, Santa Ana allows for cannabis retail sales for responsible adult-use as well.Yet flavor bans are not being considered for the cannabis industry. Both industries are strictly regulated, with mindful, responsible retailers. We support education and regulation, however we all know that prohibition never works. Small businesses and the community as a whole are still struggling to recover from the burdens and anxieties of COVID and its many variants. We ask that you not penalize the responsible, legally operating tobacco retailers in Santa Ana by banning adult-only products. Instead, we ask that you keep this community of your constituents in mind and find a solution that increases the enforcement of existing tobacco retail regulations rather than taking flavored tobacco products off the market completely. We at CALBA thank you for your time and consideration, 26er-ewe Swamy Beverly Swanson President Y CALBA CALIrORNIA LICENSED BEVERAGE ASSOCIATION