Beverly Hills Tobacco Sale Ban To Go Into Effect Friday

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — A ban on the sale of most tobacco products will go into effect Friday, Jan. 1, in Beverly Hills, the city announced in a news release Tuesday morning.

In June 2019, the Beverly Hills City Council unanimously passed a stringent ordinance banning the sale of tobacco products, the first of its kind in the country. The ordinance forbids gas stations and convenience stores from selling cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and e-cigarettes. It allows hotels to sell tobacco products, but only to guests. The three cigar lounges located in the Business Triangle may continue to operate, an exception hundreds fought to include.

The ordinance allows businesses to apply for a "temporary hardship exemption" if they can demonstrate the ban will cause undue hardship, such as sales of tobacco products driving a majority of revenue or excessive relocation costs, among others. More information on the exemption option can be found at the top of page eight of the ordinance. There are currently no smoke shops located in Beverly Hills.

The city will study the effects on business and tourism after three years, according to the ordinance.

"This week begins an important new chapter in our ongoing effort to promote and protect public health," said Mayor Lester Friedman. "It was over 30 years ago that Beverly Hills became the first city in California to prohibit smoking inside restaurants. Since then, we have continued to implement policies that will ultimately save lives."

Indeed, Beverly Hills has long taken a stringent approach to tobacco use. In 1987, it became the first city in the country to ban smoking inside restaurants. In following years, it banned smoking practically everywhere, but no new restrictions will go into effect Friday. Currently, smoking is only permitted in private smoker lounges, designated hotel or motel areas, in public areas but only if actively traveling, in moving vehicles without minors, in single-family residences, or in designated smoking areas of private businesses or outdoor public events.

"Beverly Hills is more aggressive than almost any other city around, so they're leading the way," Dr. Richard Shemin, chairman of cardiac surgery at UCLA, told The Los Angeles Times in June 2019. "In the end they took a very responsible approach to it and tried to find the right balance."

Many other nearby cities are almost as strict, however. Starting Friday, Manhattan Beach will also ban the sale of any tobacco products, including vapes and e-cigarettes. It has granted exemptions to four businesses that said they need more time to adjust to the ban, according to the city website.

A voter-approved statewide flavored tobacco ban was also supposed to go into effect Friday, but its implementation is delayed because opponents of the law filed a petition to put it to a new statewide vote. The secretary of state and attorney general's office are currently reviewing the petition to make sure it has at least 623,000 valid signatures.

Meanwhile, stringent smoking bans exist throughout the Southland and California. Smoking is banned within 25 feet of bars and restaurants in unincorporated Los Angeles County, and is banned in any bar, restaurant, or workplace in the state of California. In the city of Los Angeles, it is illegal to smoke within 10 feet of outdoor dining areas and 40 feet of food kiosks, food carts, or mobile food trucks.