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.
"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.
"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)
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)