(a) The City Council finds that young people in the City have been enticed into smoking or using tobacco products by first using or experimenting with hand-rolled, flavored tobacco products called bidis or beedies. Recognizing that the use of bidis is an emerging public health problem, the City Council hereby adopts a public policy that the tobacco products known as bidis should not be imported, sold or distributed in the City.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person or business entity shall possess, import, sell, offer for sale or distribute any tobacco product commonly referred to as bidis or beedies.
(c) For purposes of this section, bidis or beedies means a product containing tobacco that is wrapped in temburni leaf or leaves (diospyros melanoxylon) or tendu leaf or leaves (diospyros exculpra), or any other product or substance that is offered to or purchased by consumers as bidis or beedies. As used in this section, the terms bidis and beedies have the same meaning and may be used interchangeably.
(d) Any person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) and upon a second or subsequent conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), for each offense, or confined in a county or regional jail not more than thirty days, or both.
(Ord. 2012-01. Passed 1-3-12.)