Ban On Vape Sales Passed By Danville Council

DANVILLE, CA — The Danville Town Council voted this week to ban the sale of vapes, or electronic cigarettes, and regulate flavored tobacco products, which critics say appeal to kids. The move comes as local governments across the country grapple with an uptick in teen vaping.

The council said in its proposal that "electronic cigarette use has increased at alarming rates since the first products became available about 10 years ago" and reversed successful anti-tobacco campaigning efforts. The council also pointed out that tobacco products must be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before they are marketed to the public, but vapes have not yet been FDA-approved.

An earlier version also called for a ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products, but the council decided during a discussion earlier this month to instead focus on banning vapes. The ordinance clarifies that flavored tobacco products can only be sold with the assistance of a store clerk, like cigarettes, and flavored tobacco can't be advertised to people younger than 21 or within 1,600 feet of a school, park or playground.

The town currently requires tobacco retailers to get a license, regulates tobacco advertising, bans hookah and vapor lounges, the town wrote in a report to the council. Danville also banned in 2018 new tobacco retailers from opening within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and libraries, but existing retailers within 1,000 feet of those locations were grandfathered in.

Livermore and Dublin have also banned vape sales, while the Pleasanton City Council is considering introducing an ordinance to restrict sales to stores that primarily sell tobacco products.

Read the proposal here.

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