US
Senate Bill 38, a proposed California bill to ban flavored tobacco products, was shelved on May 23 after the author said it had been watered down so much with exemptions that it was now opposed by public health groups.
A Senate panel had amended SB 38 against the wishes of its author, State Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), to exempt hookah products and some flavors that are commonly used in cigars and pipes.
Hill said, “I introduced Senate Bill 38 to protect young people from the dangerous health risks of tobacco products in any form and to prevent another generation from becoming addicted to nicotine. The aim was to prohibit tobacco products with fruit, candy, and other flavors that entice young people from being sold in stores. The amendments imposed on the bill erode those protections by creating unnecessary, harmful exemptions.”
The Senate Appropriations Committee required the amendments as a condition to send the bill to the Senate floor for a vote.
Hill said opponents seeking the exemption for hookahs argued that the bill raised concerns among communities for whom the use of flavored hookah tobacco is a cultural tradition.
“I find it hard to believe that use of gummy bear- and bubble gum-flavored tobacco in any form is a cultural tradition,” Hill said.
However, the Senate voted the same day to approve a bill that would ban smoking in state parks and beaches.
The bill restricts the use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes in areas to be designated by parks officials. Persons caught smoking would be subject to a US$25 fine.