As a statewide ballot question in November’s election about whether flavored e-cigarettes and other tobacco products should be banned approaches, San Benito County has decided to take the first step towards banning the products.
At its Aug. 9 meeting, the county’s Board of Supervisors approved the first reading of an ordinance that will ban the sale of flavored tobacco products in all areas in the county, including the cities of Hollister and San Juan Bautista, reports Halfwheel. The approval was unanimous among the five supervisors.
The ordinance, which also includes a ban on the sale of single-use or disposable e-cigarettes, will get a second reading at the board’s August 23 meeting. If it passes as written, the ban would go into place 30 days after is adopted.
San Benito County has approximately 64,000 residents, and is located southeast of San Jose.