One California town has initially approved a ban on the sale of all tobacco and nicotine products, including vapes and electronic cigarettes. 

As the Press Democrat reported, the Tiburon Town Council has unanimously voted to enact the sweeping tobacco ban. 

First introduced by Tiburon Mayor Holli Thier, the measure will require additional readings before eventually being finalized. 

Once the ban is official, Tiburon will join Beverly Hills and Manhattan Beach as just the third California municipality to completely outlaw the sale of tobacco products. 

Leading the charge for the support of the ban were a collection of area high school students, who presented their case for the measure before the Tiburon Town Council. 

"We're going to talk about tobacco and nicotine use in Marin," said Rhett Krawitt, a senior at Redwood High School, per the Press Democrat. "Twenty-five percent of Marin [County] seventh-graders said it was easy to obtain vape products. Comparatively, 62% of ninth-graders and 70% of 11th-graders said that it was easy to obtain these vape products. So that means that Marin needs to take actionable steps." 

Vaping among underage users can lead to a number of significant negative impacts, including severe health issues. 

A study published in the Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives noted that hindered brain development, increased addiction, and a higher likelihood of using other tobacco products are particular concerns for young people, in addition to potential respiratory and cardiac concerns. 

In many cases, flavored vape products and vape vending machines have increased the accessibility of vape products to underage users.   

Jaime Rojas, a lobbyist for the National Association of Tobacco Retailers, voiced his concerns regarding the overreach of the ban. 

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"This ordinance simply isn't necessary," Rojas said, per the Press Democrat. "Tiburon has no retailers selling tobacco products. That makes this solve a problem that does not exist." 

Rojas explained that passing an ordinance would primarily affect businesses in the community.  

Bob Curry, co-chair of Smoke-Free Marin Coalition, said that while Tiburon has banned the sale of tobacco products in the past, the new ban would erase any doubts about the town's direction and help set a precedent.

"Many people may ask, why would the town of Tiburon be looking at this since they don't have any tobacco retailers?" Curry told the publication. "I think the main reason is the whole goal of our tobacco program in Marin County and the state is to change social norms."

Banning vape products can also lead to a reduction in electronic waste, decreasing the number of single-use, disposable vapes entering landfills and the environment. 

By restricting access to single-use devices, communities are able to limit the amount of plastic, lithium-ion batteries, and toxic chemicals that have the potential to leak into the soil and local waterways.

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