The ink is barely dry on amendments accepted during San Francisco\u2019s Public Safety and Neighborhoods Committee hearing and the full Board of Supervisors has passed<\/a> the ordinance that bans the sale of flavored vapor products, tobacco products, and menthol cigarettes. The new law takes effect in April 2018.<\/p>\n To say that San Francisco\u2019s decision to ban flavored vapor products is disappointing would be an understatement and minimizes the real impact of this horrible miscalculation. Whereas at least some study has gone into prohibiting the sale of menthol cigarettes, there is no evidence to suggest that banning low-risk nicotine products will benefit anyone. In fact, it is reasonable to infer from emerging data that banning flavored vapor and smoke-free tobacco products will send some people back to smoking while discouraging others from quitting. At the very least, banning flavored vapor products will delay quit-attempts resulting in an unnecessary harm to San Francisco\u2019s smoking population.<\/p>\n Rather than consider innovative new ways to address the disease and early death attributed to smoking, San Francisco\u2019s Board of Supervisors has, instead, opted to experiment on their constituents with an untested policy. We need to emphasize that banning low-risk, smoke-free products is NOT based on evidence. This was purely an emotional decision.<\/p>\n The pace at which this ordinance was driven through San Francisco\u2019s legislative process also indicates that very little deliberation took place. Zero consideration was given to city vape shop owners, who likely have thousands of quit-smoking stories to their credit. Even less consideration was given to individual consumers who shared their testimonials with the Public Safety Committee.<\/p>\n San Francisco has done a shameful thing, but there is still time to fix it. In the months leading up to implementing the flavor ban, there is still an opportunity to pass an exemption for low-risk tobacco and nicotine products. Considering the rate at which studies about tobacco harm reduction are emerging, it is possible we will have more evidence to support an exemption. Unfortunately, while we wait for the Board of Supervisors to come to their senses, hundreds of San Francisco residents will continue to smoke past a point where switching to a low-risk alternative could have saved their lives.<\/p>\n You can find the contact information for the SF Board of Supervisors here<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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