Prop. 31: Breaking the Limits – The Battle to Banish Flavored Cigarettes Intensifies

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Why this is important to Latinos

All this money from the tobacco industry is devastating to the health of Hispanic/Latino communities. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among Hispanic/Latino populations in California, and smoking causes 80-90% of lung cancer cases.

But Big Tobacco doesn’t stop there – the industry also aggressively discounts flavored cigar and cigarillos in pre-dominantly Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods to hook new customers.

The controversy over tobacco use has always existed. The multi-billion dollar industry has invested in removing any intended bans on its products.
One more example is being generated with Proposition 31, which seeks to veto the sale of flavored cigarettes that, according to its critics, seek to attract the consumption of children and adolescents.
The ban was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020 and placed on hold after a referendum by the tobacco industry. It is being supported by Michael Bloomberg, teachers and health associations. Committees in the race have raised more than $60.8 million and largely spent it on petitions and campaign consultants.
Major tobacco companies have poured in millions to oppose the proposition, including the North Carolina-based R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. which gave more than $8.1 million and Philip Morris, which gave $8 million.
Proponents of the ballot measure said the new rules would help prevent tobacco use among younger people, who often gravitate toward e-cigarettes that contain what the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls “kid-friendly” flavors such as cotton candy, berry and cherry.
The opposition said the ban would incentivize a black market and remove products that smokers use as a way to quit standard cigarette smoking.
Lindsey Freitas, advocacy director for the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, said passing Proposition 31 is critical to stopping the sale of products she describes as the industry’s way “to hook a new generation.”