A small town just north of San Francisco has enacted what is being called the nation's strictest tobacco sales ban. The Tiburon Town Council voted unanimously Wednesday to prohibit the sale of all tobacco and nicotine products within the southern Marin County community—including cigarettes, cigars, and vaping devices. The new law, which also bars tobacco deliveries, goes further than similar bans in the California cities of Manhattan Beach and Beverly Hills, where exemptions exist for hotels or cigar lounges, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Tiburon is the first place in the US to institute such a ban with no exemptions, the Marin Independent Journal reports.
Tiburon may have found it easier to pass the ordinance because, according to town manager Greg Chanis, the community currently has no retailers selling tobacco products. The move was sparked by three high school students in Tiburon, KTVU reports, and it drew support from local youth advocates, including members of Marin County's Youth Action Committee, who spoke about the risks of smoking and vaping among their peers. Only one group, the California Fuels and Convenience Alliance—representing small gas stations and convenience stores—formally opposed the measure.
The town of about 9,000 residents is adding another layer to the ban by requiring landlords to include anti-smoking clauses in leases for multiunit properties. The ordinance, which takes effect in December, allows residents to file civil complaints against repeat violators, and sets fines between $250 and $1,000 per incident. Sales violations will be treated as misdemeanors. California previously raised the legal age for tobacco purchases to 21 from 18.
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