Contra Costa County board of supervisors to consider e-cigarette ban
A vapor cloud produced by a man with an e-cigarette is show in a file image. (Photo by Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, Calif. - The Contra Costa Board of Supervisors are poised to approve on Tuesday a ban on the sale of vaping devices including e-cigarettes, plus the sale of menthol and other flavored cigarettes and tobacco products.
The proposed ordinance prohibit the sale or delivery of "any e-liquid or electronic smoking device," including flavored vaping products, cannabis "e-liquid" vaping products and flavored tobacco products.
The ordinance, if passed, would apply only to unincorporated parts of Contra Costa County, and not the county's incorporated cities.
The ordinance would "address mounting concerns related to the rapid increase in use of these products by minors and the . . . epidemic of serious lung disease that has been linked to the use of vaping devices," according to a county staff report.
The same report says that, "while there have been many successful efforts to reduce underage tobacco use, the growing availability of electronic cigarettes and flavored tobacco products has reversed positive trends in public health," especially due to their use by minors.
Vaping of both tobacco products and marijuana-based products are also believed to be responsible for serious lung illnesses that have resulted in several deaths.