Beverly Hills to ban the sale of almost all tobacco products. It's the first American city to institute such a crackdown

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On Tuesday night, City Council unanimously approved an order banning the sale of most tobacco products. The crackdown is the first of its kind in the United States, according to the National Association of Tobacco Outlets.
Tobacco products include cigarettes, cigars, soluble products, electronic cigarettes, chewing tobacco and water pipes.
The ban is expected to come into effect on January 1, 2021 and respond to public comments and recommendations from the City's Health and Safety Commission, according to a May 7 council declaration.

The ordinance will affect tobacco retailers, including gas stations, convenience stores and pharmacies. However, cigar lounges will be exempt and hotels will be able to sell tobacco products to customers.

In Beverly Hills, 28 establishments are licensed to sell tobacco products and three are cigar lounges. Several of these companies protested against the order, citing a loss of revenue, although an exemption for retailers would demonstrate that the ban would cause undue hardship.

City Council announced that it would review the impact on tourism in three years.

The city has already stopped smoking

The board stated that in its view, the public health benefits outweigh the loss of corporate profits.

"This reflects the values ​​of our community," said Mayor John Mirisch in a statement. "Our city has taken the initiative to reduce smoking and promote public health.Someone must be the first, while it is us."

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The American Lung Association awarded Beverly Hills an A rating for tobacco control. The city has already put in place strict regulations on where smoking is allowed.

However, the National Association of Tobacco Outlets said the Beverly Hills prescription would not reduce tobacco use.

"Adults will simply travel to nearby cities to buy their favorite tobacco products," said Thomas Briant, executive director of the group.

"It is likely that Beverly Hills convenience stores will close because they rely on in-store tobacco sales for about one-third of their gross sales."

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