Washington County officially passed an ordinance (#878) that stops all flavored cigarettes, synthetic nicotine products ( like e-cigarettes and vape pens) and other tobacco products from being sold in retail stores. Fruit and candy-flavored products that hook kids on tobacco will no longer be on store shelves.
How does this help our fight against Big Tobacco? For decades, tobacco companies have targeted children and young people using fruit and candy-flavored products and placing colorful ads at kids’ eye level. The new ordinance in Washington County stops the tobacco industry in its tracks by taking these products off the shelf!
Importantly, the new ordinance also removes menthol-flavored products, including cigarettes, from shelves, which is a HUGE win for communities that the tobacco industry has historically targeted. Did you know that tobacco-related diseases are the number one cause of death in the Black and African American community? No surprise that the common denominator is Big Tobacco, which has been aggressively marketing menthol flavored products to Black and African American communities for decades.
In addition, there will be no price promotions or discounts allowed on any tobacco products. The passing of this ordinance is the perfect example of communities standing up to Big Tobacco and improving health.
