(a) Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 480,000 people each year. It causes or contributes to many forms of cancer, as well as heart disease and respiratory diseases, among other health disorders. Tobacco use remains a public health crisis of the first order, in terms of the human suffering and loss of life it causes, the financial costs it imposes on society, and the burdens it places on our health care system. The financial cost of tobacco use in San Francisco alone amounts to $380 million per year in direct health care expenses and lost productivity.
(b) Flavored tobacco products are commonly sold by California tobacco retailers. For example: 97.4% of stores that sell cigarettes sell menthol cigarettes; 94.5% of stores that sell little cigars sell them in flavored varieties; 84.2% of stores that sell electronic smoking devices sell flavored varieties; and 83.8% of stores that sell chew or snus sell flavored varieties. 70% of tobacco retailers within 1,000 feet of San Francisco schools sell flavored tobacco products other than menthol cigarettes, and nearly all sell menthol cigarettes.
(c) Each day, about 2,500 children in the United States try their first cigarette; and another 400 children under 18 years of age become new regular, daily smokers. 81% of youth who have ever used a tobacco product report that the first tobacco product they used was flavored. Flavored tobacco products promote youth initiation of tobacco use and help young occasional smokers to become daily smokers by reducing or masking the natural harshness and taste of tobacco smoke and thereby increasing the appeal of tobacco products. As tobacco companies well know, menthol, in particular, cools and numbs the throat to reduce throat irritation and make the smoke feel smoother, making menthol cigarettes an appealing option for youth who are initiating tobacco use. Tobacco companies have used flavorings such as mint and wintergreen in smokeless tobacco products as part of a “graduation strategy” to encourage new users to start with tobacco products with lower levels of nicotine and progress to products with higher levels of nicotine. It is therefore unsurprising that young people are much more likely to use menthol-, candy- and fruit-flavored tobacco products, including not just cigarettes but also cigars, cigarillos, and hookah tobacco, than adults. Data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey indicate that more than two-fifths of U.S. middle school and high school smokers report using flavored little cigars or flavored cigarettes. Further, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a more than 800% increase in electronic cigarette use among middle school and high school students between 2011 and 2015. Nicotine solutions, which are consumed via electronic smoking devices such as electronic cigarettes, are sold in thousands of flavors that appeal to youth, such as cotton candy and bubble gum.
(d) Much as young people disproportionately use flavored tobacco products including menthol cigarettes, the same can be said of certain minority groups. In one survey, the percentage of people who smoke cigarettes that reported smoking menthol cigarettes in the prior month included, most dramatically, 82.6% of Blacks or African-Americans who smoke cigarettes. The statistics for other groups were: 53.2% of Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders who smoke cigarettes; 36.9% of individuals with multiracial backgrounds who smoke cigarettes; 32.3% of Hispanics or Latinos who smoke cigarettes; 31.2% of Asians who smoke cigarettes; 24.8% of American Indians or Alaska Natives who smoke cigarettes; and 23.8% of Whites or Caucasians who smoke cigarettes. People who identify as LGBT and young adults with mental health conditions also struggle with disproportionately high rates of menthol cigarette use. The disproportionate use of menthol cigarettes among targeted groups, especially the extremely high use among African-Americans, is troubling because of the long-term adverse health impacts on those groups.
(e) Between 2004 and 2014, overall smoking prevalence decreased, but use of menthol cigarettes increased among both young adults (ages 18-25) and other adults (ages 26+). These statistics are consistent with the finding that smoking menthol cigarettes reduces the likelihood of successfully quitting smoking. Scientific modeling has projected that a national ban on menthol cigarettes could save between 300,000 and 600,000 lives by 2050.
(Added by Proposition E, 6/5/2018, Eff. 7/21/2018, Oper. 7/21/2018)