SAN DIEGO — San Diego approved a ban Monday on flavored e-cigarettes and flavored tobacco, including menthol cigarettes, a move supporters said would boost public health for local teens and people living in many minority neighborhoods.
The ban was harshly criticized by the owners of dozens of small neighborhood markets that sell flavored tobacco and vaping products. They called it a racist law that will prevent minorities from enjoying tobacco products of their choice.
Supporters say the ban will combat big tobacco's strategy of using flavored tobacco to reverse decades of progress in reducing youth usage. Flavored tobacco often comes in packages featuring cartoon characters and the word "candy."
