The City Council recognizes the inherent danger of tobacco products and that the use of tobacco products has devastating health and economic consequences. The City Council further recognizes that tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States, and that tobacco product use is started and established primarily during adolescence.
Allowing flavored tobacco products to be sold in the City increases access to these harmful and dangerous products. To that end, no flavored tobacco products shall be sold in the City except as specifically enumerated in this chapter.
(Ord. 2020-13)
For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply:
"Characterizing flavor"
means a distinguishable taste or aroma or both, other than the taste or aroma of tobacco, imparted by a tobacco product or any byproduct produced by the tobacco product. Characterizing flavors include, but are not limited to, tastes or aromas relating to any fruit, chocolate, vanilla, honey, candy, cocoa, dessert, alcoholic beverage, menthol, mint, wintergreen, herb, or spice. A tobacco product shall not be determined to have a characterizing flavor solely because of the use of additives or flavorings or the provision of ingredient information. Rather, it is the presence of a distinguishable taste or aroma or both, as described in the first sentence of this definition, that constitutes a characterizing flavor.
"Distinguishable"
means perceivable by either the sense of smell or taste.
"Distribute" or "distribution"
means the transfer, by any person other than a common carrier, of a tobacco product at any point from the place of manufacture or thereafter to the person who sells the tobacco product to an individual for personal consumption.
"Electronic cigarette"
has the meaning set forth in Section 30121 of the California Revenue and Taxation Code, as may be amended from time to time.
"Flavored shisha tobacco product"
means any shisha tobacco product that contains a constituent that imparts a characterizing flavor.
"Flavored tobacco product"
means any tobacco product that imparts a characterizing flavor. A public statement or claim made or disseminated by the manufacturer of a tobacco product, or by any person authorized or permitted by the manufacturer to make or disseminate public statements concerning such tobacco product, that such tobacco product has or produces a characterizing flavor shall constitute presumptive evidence that the tobacco product is a flavored tobacco product.
"Hookah"
means a type of waterpipe, used to smoke shisha or other tobacco products, with a long flexible tube for drawing aerosol through water. Components of a hookah may include heads, stems, bowls, and hoses.
"Hookah tobacco retailer"
means a tobacco retailer that is engaged in the retail sale of shisha tobacco products, hookah, and hookah smoking accessories.
"Sell," "sale," and "to sell"
mean any transaction where, for any consideration, ownership of a tobacco product is transferred from one person to another, including, but not limited to, any transfer or title or possession for consideration, exchange, or barter, in any manner or by any means.
"Shisha tobacco product"
means a tobacco product smoked or intended to be smoked in a hookah. "Shisha tobacco product" includes, and may be referred to as, hookah tobacco, waterpipe tobacco, maassel, narghile, and argileh. "Shisha tobacco product" does not include any electronic devices, such as an electronic hookah, electronic cigarette, or electronic tobacco product.
"Tobacco product"
means any tobacco cigarette, electronic cigarette cartridge, cigar, pipe tobacco, smokeless tobacco, snuff or any other form of tobacco which may be utilized for smoking, chewing, inhaling, vaping or other manner of ingestion.
(Ord. 2020-13)
A. 
It is unlawful to sell or distribute any flavored tobacco product to a person in the City of Encinitas.
B. 
There shall be a rebuttal presumption that a tobacco product, other than a cigarette, is a flavored tobacco product if a manufacturer or any of the manufacturer's agents or employees, in the course of their agency or employment, has made a statement or claim directed to consumers or to the public that the tobacco product has or produces a characterizing flavor, including, but not limited to, text, color, and/or images on the product's labeling or packaging that are used to explicitly or implicitly communicate that the tobacco product has a characterizing flavor.
C. 
This section shall not apply to a product that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for sale as a tobacco cessation product or for other therapeutic purposes, where the product is marketed and sold solely for such an approved purpose.
D. 
This section shall not apply to the sale or distribution of shisha tobacco products for use in a hookah.
(Ord. 2020-13)
A. 
The City Manager, or designee, is authorized to establish regulations and to take any and all actions reasonable and necessary to obtain compliance with this chapter, including, but not limited to, inspecting the premises of any business to verify compliance.
B. 
Any person, business or tobacco retailer violating this chapter shall be guilty of an infraction, which shall be punishable by a fine in accordance with Chapter 1.08 of the Encinitas Municipal Code, or a misdemeanor, which shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, by imprisonment not exceeding six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. In addition to criminal fines, any person, business or tobacco retailer violating this chapter shall also be subject to civil penalties or administrative fines or both under Chapter 1.08 of the Encinitas Municipal Code.
C. 
The City Attorney may seek legal injunctive or other equitable relief to enforce this chapter.
D. 
Administrative enforcement of this chapter shall proceed pursuant to Chapter 1.08 of the Encinitas Municipal Code.
E. 
Each violation of this chapter shall be considered a separate offense.
F. 
The remedies and penalties provided in this section are cumulative and not exclusive, and nothing in this chapter shall preclude any person from pursuing any other remedies provided by law.
G. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, this chapter may be enforced through any remedy as provided for in this section upon its effective date.
(Ord. 2020-13)
Nothing in this chapter shall be interpreted or applied so as to create any requirement, power, or duty that is preempted by Federal or State law.
(Ord. 2020-13)
If any section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this chapter is, for any reason, held to be invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity or effectiveness of the remaining portions of this chapter. The City Council hereby declares that it would have adopted the ordinance codified in this chapter and each section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause, phrase and portion of this chapter irrespective of the fact that one or more sections, subsections, subdivisions, paragraphs, sentences, clauses, phrases or portions thereof may be declared invalid or unconstitutional. To this end, the provisions of this chapter are declared severable.
(Ord. 2020-13)
The operative date of this chapter is January 1, 2021.
(Ord. 2020-13)