Flavor ban harmful

If the US city of San Francisco ultimately implements its recently adopted ordinance to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products, it will do more harm than good, according to an op-ed by Dr. Joel Nitzkin published on the R Street website.

In fact, the ban would increase rates of tobacco-related addiction, illness and death across the city.

‘There are two major issues with this ordinance,’ Nitzkin said. ‘The first is the ease with which persons who want these products can simply get them in neighboring communities, or from a thriving black market sure to develop within the city.

‘The second, and more important, is the fact that this ban will virtually eliminate local on-site access to less addictive and remarkably low-risk nicotine vapor products.

‘While barring access to most e-cigarettes, the ordinance will do nothing to reduce access to non-menthol cigarettes, which remain the deadliest and most addictive tobacco products.’

The full text of Nitzkin’s piece is at: http://www.rstreet.org/op-ed/flavored-tobacco-ordinance-sure-to-backfire/.