Tag: smoking bans

San Francisco plots outdoor smoking ban as locals erupt

San Francisco is rolling out a sweeping outdoor smoking ban that would snuff out cigarettes on bar patios and parklets across the city.

The move has ignited outrage among local business owners, who argue the draconian measure is just the latest example of government overreach putting neighborhood bars at risk.

The controversial ordinance, being crafted by Supervisor Myrna Melgar and Dr. John Maa of the San Francisco Marin Medical Society, would require bars and taverns to follow the same smoke-free outdoor regulations already imposed on restaurants under state and local law, KTVU reported.

If passed, customers would no longer be allowed to smoke while enjoying drinks at outdoor bar spaces across the notoriously left-leaning city.

Maa, a surgeon backing the proposal, insisted the crackdown is necessary to protect patrons, workers and pedestrians from secondhand smoke.

“This is to protect the patrons of these establishments and also importantly, the employees and anyone who might be exposed to secondhand smoke,” Maa told the outlet.

He argued San Francisco should put public health ahead of business profits.

But furious bar owners have slammed the proposal as an example of heavy-handed government meddling.

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Canadian smoking ban ‘being looked into’: health minister

The federal health minister says she is looking into legislation that would permanently ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone born after 2008.

Speaking on Parliament Hill Tuesday, Majorie Michel was asked if Canada would consider legislation similar to the United Kingdom’s recently proposed bill that aims to reduce the use of cigarettes and vapes for young people.

“I am looking into it right now,” she told reporters. “We saw what the U.K. did, but I am looking into it with all partners for now.”

Last week, both houses of the U.K. Parliament passed what’s being called the “Tobacco and Vapes Bill,” aimed to stop anyone born after Jan. 1, 2009, now aged 17, from taking up smoking. The bill still requires royal assent.

Asked whether Health Canada has been tasked with looking into a U.K.-style ban, a spokesperson for the department said they had nothing to add to a statement issued to CTV News last week.

On April 22, Health Canada told CTV News the Government of Canada has invested $66 million annually since 2018 to help Canadians quit smoking and reduce the harms of nicotine addiction. The department did not specifically say whether it was, or had ever, seriously considered a lifetime ban for people aged 17 and younger.

“The Government of Canada works collaboratively with partners and key stakeholders to protect Canadians, especially youth, from the harms of smoking using the best available data and evidence,” said Mark Johnson, a spokesperson for Health Canada.

Canada has set a goal of reducing tobacco use to less than five per cent by 2035. The 2024 Canadian Community Health Survey estimates 11 per cent of Canadians aged 18 years and over reported smoking.

When it comes to vaping, data from Statistics Canada suggests one in 10 Canadians aged 20 to 24, and one in 50 aged 25 and older, use a vape every day.

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Global Push to Ban Nicotine as Marijuana and Psychedelics Praised

Nicotine, an alkaloid that naturally occurs in nightshade plants, is the latest target in an ongoing legislative and regulatory battle, with leaders worldwide working toward an outright ban on the substance. Simultaneously, marijuana and psychedelic substances are being encouraged and deregulated at a rapid pace.

While research continues to come out, nicotine has been found to potentially aid in recovery from Covid-19, serve as an anti-inflammatory agent, boost cognition, and even prevent Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. So, why the crackdown?

Elites Suppressing Nicotine

In January 2025, in the 11th hour of Joe Biden’s presidency, his administration pushed hard to essentially begin the death of nicotine through FDA regulations. The Biden-era rule sought to establish a “maximum nicotine level” in tobacco products. In a press release accompanying the clampdown, the FDA revealed that they would “cap the nicotine level at 0.7 milligrams per gram of tobacco in cigarettes and certain other combusted tobacco products.”

While the FDA regulation would not touch on non-tobacco products containing nicotine, such as nicotine gum, patches, or pouches, Democrats have been pushing for years to restrain the sale of non-tobacco nicotine products, mainly nicotine pouches — a small pouch of flavored nicotine placed between the gums.

“It’s a pouch packed with problems — high levels of nicotine,” Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in January of 2024 at a press conference targeting the pouches and nicotine at large. Schumer called on the Federal Trade Commission and Food and Drug Administration to investigate nicotine companies for “for concerns relating to marketing and health effects.” They want to wage war on nicotine.

Democratic governors are hopping on the bandwagon, too. In New York, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul recently unveiled her 2027 proposed budget, which included a 75-percent tax on non-tobacco nicotine products. “The Executive Budget defines alternative nicotine products and broadens the tobacco products definition to include them, bringing these products under the State’s existing 75 percent wholesale tax,” the budget proposal states.

The reason for the regulations is ostensibly to protect children. New York’s Department of Taxation and Finance Acting Commissioner Amanda Hiller stated, “We have high taxes to create a barrier to entry for children. That’s always been a core rationale for having some of the highest taxes on these products in the country.”

UK: Banning Tobacco for Everyone Born After 2008

But the war on nicotine and tobacco is not just happening in America. It is happening in England, too. This week, both houses of Parliament agreed to a final draft of legislation that would literally ban anyone born after January 1, 2009 from buying tobacco for the rest of their life. The U.K’.s health minister, Baroness Merron, commented that “It is, in fact, the biggest public health intervention in a generation and I can assure all noble Lords it will save lives.”

New Zealand also attempted a smoking ban in 2022, but quickly reversed it upon the election of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who cited concerns about the rise of black market sales and the impact on the economy. Australia has also tightened the bolts on nicotine use, requiring a prescription to use certain nicotine products.

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Florida GOP Lawmaker Files Bill To Ban Public Marijuana Smoking As Campaign Works To Put Legalization On 2026 Ballot

A pro-legalization Florida lawmaker has filed a bill to amend state law to codify that the public use of marijuana is prohibited.

Rep. Alex Andrade (R)—who has voiced support for removing cannabis from the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and earned an “A” grade from NORML—introduced the public smoking and vaping legislation on Thursday.

Under the proposal, state statute on the use of tobacco in public would be revised to incorporate cannabis, making it unlawful to smoke or vape in any public space.

A public space would be defined as place “to which the public has access, including, but not limited to, streets; sidewalks; highways; public parks; public beaches; and the common areas, both inside and outside, of schools, hospitals, government buildings, apartment buildings, office buildings, lodging establishments, restaurants, transportation facilities, and retail shops.”

The legislation specifies that the prohibition on public smoking “does not apply to the smoking of unfiltered cigars.”

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Asian nation introduces lifetime smoking ban for Gen Z and beyond

The Republic of Maldives has banned smoking for individuals born on or after January 1, 2007, becoming the second country in the world after New Zealand to implement a generational prohibition on tobacco. 

According to Maldives Health Statistics, tobacco consumption and exposure to secondhand smoke are among the leading causes of illness and death nationwide. This prompted President Mohamed Muizzu to launch an anti-smoking campaign last year, banning vapes and e-cigarettes while doubling import duties and taxes on cigarettes.

The new ban, affecting Generation Z first, was ratified as an amendment to the Tobacco Control Act in May and came into force on Saturday. It also reportedly applies to visitors to the island nation known for its luxury tourism.

Anyone born after January 1, 2007 is now prohibited from purchasing, selling, or using tobacco products in the Maldives. The restriction covers all forms of tobacco, and retailers must verify buyers’ ages. 

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France to Ban Smoking in Parks, Beaches, and Near Schools

France has struggled to kick its smoking habit. A new public health decree published Saturday aims to change that.

In the coming days, smoking will be banned in all French parks and sports venues, at beaches and bus stops, in a perimeter around all schools, and anywhere children could gather in public.

In a country where smoking has for generations been glamorized in cinema and intertwined with the national image, government crackdowns on tobacco use have met resistance.

“In France, we still have this mindset of saying, this is a law that restricts freedom,” Philippe Bergerot, president of the French League Against Cancer, told the Associated Press.

The ban aims “to promote what we call denormalization. In people’s minds, smoking is normal,” he said. “We aren’t banning smoking; we are banning smoking in certain places where it could potentially affect people’s health and … young people.”

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France BANS smoking in nearly all outdoor spaces

France will ban smoking in all outdoor places that can be frequented by children, like beaches, parks and bus stops, the health and family minister said on Thursday.

‘Where there are children, tobacco must disappear,’ Catherine Vautrin said in an interview published by regional outlet Ouest-France.

The restrictions will come into force on July 1, and failure to comply with the draconian ban could result in a £114 fine, the minister said, adding that children have the ‘right to breathe clean air.’

Cigarettes will also be banned in areas close to schools to prevent students from ‘smoking in front of their establishments.’ 

The ban does not apply to cafe terraces – or include electronic cigarettes. 

The government’s National Anti-Tobacco Programme for 2023 to 2027 proposed a smoking ban similar to the one announced by Vautrin, calling for France to ‘rise to the challenge of a tobacco-free generation from 2032.’ 

But anti-tobacco organisations had voiced concern the authorities were dragging their feet on implementing the measures. 

Vautrin said there were no plans to place additional taxes on cigarettes ‘at the moment’. 

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Drastic new cigarette rules that will change the way Aussies smoke forever

Aussie smokers will see some types of cigarettes banned under tough new rules designed to make smoking as unappealing as possible. 

The new measures, which are set to come into force from July 1, will outlaw certain ingredients, flavours and accessories. 

For example, menthol, rum and clove-favoured cigarettes and those with crush balls in the filter will be banned. 

‘These mask the harshness of tobacco, make it more addictive, easier to smoke and harder to quit,’ a Department of Health spokesman said.

Cigarette manufacturers will also be banned from using words like ‘smooth’ and ‘gold’ because they can create the false impression that some products are less harmful.

The new rules will also force all cigarettes to be consistent in their size and shape, with unique filters banned. 

Each packet will come with health warnings and contain information cards offering support to quit.

It comes after manufacturers were forced to print grim warning messages, such as ‘poison in every puff’ and ‘toxic addiction’, on the filter of each cigarette from April.

Health Minister Mark Butler said Australia was ‘one of the first countries in the world to include this new public health measure’.

He said the aim was to ‘educate but also dissuade smokers from using this deadly product’.

Cigarette prices in Australia are among the highest in the world due chiefly to heavy taxation. A standard 20-pack costs more than $50, depending on the brand, with 70 per cent of the retail price ($35) going to the government in excise tax.

Cigarette excise taxes increase twice a year in line with average wages. On March 1, the tax per cigarette rose by 2.8 per cent to $1.27816, up from $1.24335.

The regular tax hikes and resultant high prices have created a booming black market, with millions of Australians now buying illegal, counterfeit cigarettes sold in convenience stores.

The lucrative black-market trade has seen tobacco stores taken over by criminal gangs, with violent turf wars and arson attacks. 

And despite the tax increases, government revenue from tobacco has plummeted due to fewer people buying the expensive product – dropping 39 per cent in just four years, from a peak of $16 billion in 2019/20 to $9.8 billion in 2023/24.

The ATO now estimates that nearly one in five cigarettes smoked in Australia comes from criminal syndicates that evade taxes and sell at deep discounts.

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Sell Flavored Tobacco in Massachusetts, Go To Jail

In 2022, I wrote an article for Reason predicting that it was only a matter of time before selling flavored tobacco products landed an American behind bars. Almost three years later, that day has arrived in Massachusetts. According to a press release from the Middlesex district attorney and the Department of Revenue, the owner of a Marlborough vape shop has pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted tax evasion arising from the sale of e-cigarettes brought in from across state borders. He was sentenced to serve six months in the House of Correction and five years probation.

In 2020, Massachusetts became the first state to implement a comprehensive ban on all flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes and flavored e-cigarettes. Violation of the flavor ban is only a misdemeanor, but since flavored tobacco products are sold on the illicit market, sellers simultaneously violate state tax law. This brings much harsher penalties into play. In Massachusetts, evading taxes on tobacco products is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Criminal justice reformers have warned for years that flavor bans would encourage illicit markets, creating felony crimes in the process. For example, a 2021 coalition letter signed by groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers warned that a federal menthol ban would create “a massive law enforcement problem for states, counties, and cities since all states treat unlicensed sale of tobacco products as a crime—usually as a felony punishable by imprisonment.”

This is a prescient description of how the comprehensive flavor ban in Massachusetts is working out. The latest annual report from the state’s Multi-Agency Illegal Tobacco Task Force (published in February 2024) notes: “Field personnel are routinely encountering or seizing untaxed menthol cigarettes, originally purchased in other states, and flavored ENDS [electronic nicotine delivery systems] products and cigars purchased from unlicensed distributors operating both within and outside the Commonwealth. Without providing too much detail about the processes and methods of Task Force enforcement strategies, smugglers are developing more sophisticated smuggling operations to counter the Task Force’s targeted investigations.” 

These annual reports document law enforcement activity directly related to the flavor ban. Massachusetts has seized so much contraband tobacco and so many e-cigarettes that the state struggles to find the capacity to store it all. There are many instances of individuals arrested for possessing allegedly commercial quantities of menthol cigarettes or flavored e-cigarettes, with some of these cases referred for prosecution.

The Marlborough case is one of the first, if not the first, to resolve with a guilty plea and criminal sentence. The defendant is 62-year-old Ashraf Youssef, who owned AAA Smoke and Vape Shop. According to prosecutors, he “routinely” purchased e-cigarettes from out-of-state distributors between 2020 and 2022, evading $467,000 in excise taxes. In high-tax states like Massachusetts, there are obviously financial reasons to smuggle products from other jurisdictions, but the prohibition on flavored products offers additional motivation.

The Massachusetts flavor ban took effect in 2020, and minutes from a 2022 Marlborough Board of Health meeting note multiple instances of Youssef’s shop selling flavored products. In December of 2021, for example, a “Tobacco Control Manager stopped at the establishment, witnessed the sale of flavored tobacco products, and found 300 disposable flavored vapes.” And in March of 2022, “The Marlborough Police Department was sent to investigate suspicious activity in the parking lot of AAA Smoke & Vape. They determined the business has a car parked outside where patrons can walk up & purchase flavored vape products for cash.”

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Trump Administration Squashes Biden Plan to Ban Menthol Cigarettes

As you may recall, the Nanny State under Joe Biden was planning to ban menthol cigarettes. They first planned to do it early last year, but then decided to postpone the plan to after the election because they were afraid it would cost them votes.

Now that the election is over and Joe Biden lost, the plan was hanging in the wind.

The new Trump administration just ended the plan for good. Isn’t it nice when adults have the freedom to decide these things for themselves?

The Hill reports:

Trump FDA officially withdraws long-delayed menthol cigarette ban

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has withdrawn a rule that would have banned menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, putting a formal end to a policy that had been indefinitely delayed under the Biden administration.

A regulatory filing showed the rule had been “withdrawn” on Jan. 21, President Trump’s second day in office. The move is a significant blow to public health groups who said banning menthol had the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives, particularly among Black smokers.

“There is no justifiable reason to withdraw the FDA’s proposed rule to ban menthol,” said Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy, managing attorney at Action on Smoking and Health. “Tobacco industry profits should never be prioritized over American lives, but unfortunately, that’s what has happened with the FDA withdrawing the proposed rule to ban menthol in tobacco products.”

The FDA declined to comment, pointing to a newly-ordered temporary ban on public communication.

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