Is San Francisco About To Ban E-cig Flavors? Yup.
It certainly appears that as of April 2018 you will not be able to buy flavored electronic cigarettes or e-liquids in the City of San Francisco. The proposed ban includes all tobacco products and extends even to menthol flavors. The city’s supervisors passed the ordinance and this week the city board will vote to confirm final approval. The ban will then go into place effective April, 2018.
The e-cig and vape juice flavor ban is expected to pass. This will be the most aggressive anti-vaping jurisdiction in the country. New Jersey is also considering a state wide ban on e-cig flavors. The New Jersey ban would be the first state wide ban. Anti-vaping special interests have obviously decided to target e-liquid flavors. We will keep you posted with all of the latest in ECCR’s vaping news.
Research indicates that most vapers prefer fruit and other sweet flavors as opposed to tobacco flavor. Adult tobacco consumers prefer a variety of flavors. The idea that flavors attract teens has been debunked. In fact, it was an FDA funded study that found that 92% of young vapers are vaping as an alternative to smoking. By the way, teen smoking rates are at record lows. We’ve also seen studies that show vaping does not lead to smoking despite what you may have heard. Special interest studies with bias may be badly distorting public opinion. It’s a much different story in the UK where there main concern is reducing tobacco harm.
Who Does The San Francisco E-Cig Flavor Ban Hurt Most?
We do not know all of the details at this time. But it is hard to imagine that the City of San Francisco will be able to enforce this ban when it comes to online sales. Most adult vaping consumers do buy online because you get more options and better prices. In fact here at ECCR we have a number of very exclusive vaping coupons that allow adult vapers to save even more. So vapes in San Francisco will still be able to buy their favorite flavors, they just won’t be buying from San Francisco retailers.
The big loser of the San Francisco e-cig flavor ban will be the local businesses. The local vape shops that have relationships with customers. This ban will not prevent vapers in San Francisco from getting the flavors they want, it will only mean that they won’t be buying in San Francisco. That’s all this ban accomplishes. Oh, and of course the symbolism of appearing to be doing something.
ECCR
