SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – San Francisco city supervisors unanimously approved a measure Tuesday that bans the sale of flavored nicotine-laced liquid used in electronic cigarettes and flavored tobacco products – with city supervisors saying nicotine masked in cotton candy, banana cream, mint and other flavors entices kids into a lifetime of addiction.
Other cities have passed laws reducing access to flavored vaping liquids and flavored tobacco but San Francisco is the first in the country to approve a sales ban.
Sales of vaping liquids that taste like tobacco will still be allowed.
“We’re focusing on flavored products because they are widely considered to be a starter product for future smokers,” said Supervisor Malia Cohen, who sponsored the ordinance.
Chris Harihar, a spokesman for VMR Products, the largest independent vaporizer brand in the U.S, said he was not authorized to comment on Wednesday.