Sebastopol aims to be model for county to curb teen vaping

The number of children under 18 who smoke has thankfully dropped to record lows across the U.S. Years of public health messages and tobacco control policies have helped to make smoking less and less socially acceptable

But that, unfortunately, doesn't mean kids aren't using tobacco products. The number of youth using tobacco is higher than ever. According to public health experts across the country, the problem can be blamed on the booming e-cigarette—aka vaping—industry.

Early on, the industry promoted vaping as cool, available in hundreds of kid-friendly flavors, and even labeled it “totally safe” according to congressional testimony from high school students. Instead of smoke from a combustible cigarette, people who vape inhale an aerosol from an e-cigarette that usually contains nicotine. E-cigarettes can come in various designs to look like traditional cigarettes or even resemble pens or USB memory sticks.

The problem is that nicotine in e-cigarettes is still addictive—even more so because of the high concentration—and comes with the same risk of cardiovascular and respiratory health concerns. Plus, the long-term health effects are unknown. According to a Johns Hopkins report and the CDC, vape ingredients still contain thousands of chemical components, including heavy metals and cancer-causing compounds.

The combo of brightly colored, candy-like flavors paired with sleek, techy devices has made vaping especially attractive to teens. Kids who were less likely to pick up a cigarette habit are now vaping at an alarming rate. A CDC report found that 1 in 5 high school students and 1 in 10 middle school students reported vaping in the past 30 days—and flavored products are cited as the reason they started using in the first place.

The stats in Sonoma County match national numbers, with more than 25% of local 11th graders and nearly 50% of those attending alternative high schools reporting recent e-cigarette use. Nicotine is especially problematic for youth. It ups the risk of lifelong addiction and adversely impacts mood, attention, learning, and impulse control.

The push to curb youth tobacco use feels urgent to anyone looking at these numbers. One way to do so is to implement a strict tobacco retailer licensing (TRL) ordinance—a tobacco control policy designed to reduce tobacco use and exposure by youth. A city or

county may adopt a TRL ordinance to establish minimum standards for regulating tobacco retailers or adopt heavier regulations than the state currently requires.

In early 2021 (after a somewhat slow start thanks to floods, fires, and a pandemic), Sebastopol implemented the most comprehensive TRL in California, thanks to a collaborative effort between the Gravenstein Action Health Coalition (GHAC), Tobacco-Free Sonoma County Community Coalition, the Sebastopol city council, and support from Impact Sonoma, the County’s tobacco nicotine prevention team.

Several years before, GHAC noticed that the 2018 American Lung Association's report card gave Sebastopol an 'F' primarily because of its retail policies that still made it possible for youth to access vaping products. Once implemented, Sebastopol's grade quickly jumped to an 'A,' and their TRL was adopted as a model for other Sonoma County cities like Windsor and Petaluma.

The Sebastopol TRL bans the sale of flavored tobacco products and electronic smoking devices without exceptions. It raises the price of tobacco products to a minimum of $10 as higher price tags limit youth's ability to afford and therefore start smoking, according to the Surgeon General. It also includes an annual fee to support enforcement by the Sebastopol Police Department.

Some argue there's no need to ban flavored tobacco products because selling them to underage youth is already illegal. But a local investigation conducted by Impact Sonoma found that of 156 randomly selected tobacco retailers throughout Sonoma County, almost 50% sold to underage customers. 58 stores didn’t ask for ID and 17 asked for ID and still sold the product to underage youth anyway.

A county unincorporated TRL exists but doesn't regulate the sale of flavored tobacco products, creating a logistics and enforcement problem. A retailer in the city limits can be a few hundred feet from a tobacco retailer outside the city limits, making it easy for a teen to simply walk across the parking lot to purchase flavored products.

A recent measure (Proposition 31) passed in the November midterm election upholding a ban on certain flavored tobacco sales in California. While Prop 31 seemingly solves the location problem, there are exceptions. Some flavored products can still be sold, like pipe tobacco or cigars. Prop 31 also doesn't include any fees for enforcement of the regulation, so the Sebastopol TRL is still stronger.

So what's the next step for Sonoma County? On January 10th, 2023, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will review a possible expansion to the County TRL to match the Sebastopol TRL. The Gravenstein Action Health Coalition and its tobacco-free allies are hopeful that strengthening the County TRL with a flavored product and e-cigarette ban, and higher retail prices will reduce youth tobacco use in Sonoma County. Learn more about the Gravenstein Action Health Coalition: https://gravensteinhealth.org/