Beverly Hills votes to ban tobacco sales

Mayor says, “Somebody’s got to be first,” after City Council approval

The air in Beverly Hills, California, might be a little clearer by 2021, thanks to a new law that will ban the sale of tobacco products in the city.

Officials in the Los Angeles suburb known for glamour, celebrities and over-the-top wealth said they believe their ban is a first in the nation.

“Somebody’s got to be first, so let it be us,” Mayor John Mirisch said.

The City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Tuesday night that would prohibit the sale of various nicotine-laden products, including cigarettes, chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes.

The ordinance, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2021, will apply to gas stations, convenience stores, pharmacies and grocery stores.

The move compounds Beverly Hills’ strict regulation of tobacco and nicotine use, which includes bans on smoking in apartment complexes, on public sidewalks and in city parks, among other areas. The sale of flavored tobacco products is prohibited by the city.

Mirisch said he hopes that by removing tobacco products, including popular e-cigarettes, from store shelves, the city can prevent kids from developing a nicotine habit.

“Children will not be interested in starting, and (smoking) won’t be looked upon as cool or anything but damaging and bad,” Mirisch said.

As it is, California has one of the lowest rates of smoking in the country, second only to Utah, according to Ruth Malone, a professor at the University of California-San Francisco and editor-in-chief of Tobacco Control, a journal on tobacco control policy.

“It’s not the first time that communities have tried to do this,” Malone said. “I think when you understand the history of the cigarette as a consumer product, which is the single most deadly consumer product ever made, it kind of makes sense that finally somebody would say, ‘Wait a minute, this is too dangerous to be sold on every street corner.’ ”

The law will have a few exceptions. For example, Beverly Hills hosts many international visitors, so hotel concierges may still sell cigarettes to guests. The city’s three cigar lounges will also receive an exemption.