San Francisco becomes the first U.S. city to ban Juuls
By San Francisco is cracking down on vaping.
A new blanket ban would outlaw the sale, distribution, and manufacturing of e-cigarettes in an effort to fight the trend of vaping teenagers. The city’s Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on the legislation on Tuesday. Under the two proposed ordinances, e-cigarette sales would be banned both in physical and online stores, if the shipping addresses are in San Francisco.
As Juuls gain popularity, cities across the country have tried to limit youth access to e-cigarettes by upping age requirements to 21. Juul itself stopped selling fruity flavored pods like mango and cucumber in most stores last year, in an effort to make its products less appealing to impressionable kids. San Fransisco’s blanket ban would be the first of its kind.
The city’s mayor London Breed already confirmed that she would sign the ordinances, which would be enforced in early 2020. The new laws would put Juul labs, which was one of the city’s prominent start-ups, in a tough spot.
“We have always been a proud San Francisco-based company,” Juul said in a statement last week. “And remain committed to serving the community as we focus on helping adult smokers switch from combustible cigarettes — the leading cause of preventable death — and combating underage use.”
City Attorney Dennis Herrera is doubtful of the company’s altruistic public health goals. In a statement, he suggested Juul and other vape companies prove their e-cigarettes benefit the public, rather than act as a “lure to addict another generation.”
“Now, youth vaping is an epidemic,” Herrera continued, stressing that the FDA did not properly review e-cigarettes. “If the federal government is not going to act to protect our kids, San Francisco will.”
The two ordinances would not affect the sales of traditional cigarettes.
