In an effort to curb youth access to dangerous tobacco products, the Concord City Council recently updated its Tobacco Retailer Ordinance.
Under the revised provisions, which take effect on Oct. 11, 2023, tobacco retailers may NOT:
- Sell tobacco products through self-service displays
- Sell tobacco products via mobile vending, which includes internet sales
- Sell any type of flavored tobacco products; excepting:
- Hookah lounges may sell hookah products for onsite use and consumption only; and
- Tobacco Retailers may sell premium flavored cigars costing $12 or more
- Sell electronic smoking devices and products (includes e-cigarettes, e-cigars, e-pipes, vape pens, and e-hookahs)
- Offer or accept coupons or provide free or discounted tobacco products
- Sell any cigar unless it is sold in a package of at least 10 and at least $10 per package; excepting:
- Single cigars may be sold at a price of at least $5 inc. taxes
- Sell any cigarette unless it is sold in a package of at least 20 and at a price of at least $10 inc. taxes
These regulations will be actively enforced by the Concord Police Department, according to the City of Concord.
Haven’t used tobacco in many decades so don’t know prices.
Questions, Will this create a black market or cause customers to travel to another city to purchase?
As will all drug prohibition attempts in history – yes. Drugs will always win. All drug laws have ever done was create black markets and criminal records.
A small but important step to reduce the dangerous use of smoking and vaping products.
What I find annoying is the complete disregard for public health evidenced by the push to expand recreational cannabis smoking/vaping.
Glad to see we are restricting tobacco smoking. We should be doing the same for cannabis smoking/vaping products.
Marihuana/Cannabis is still the WORST drug out there. Responsible for most of the hard-core drug addicts slow demise. Also makes users lazy and unmotivated to succeed in most relationships and other aspects of their “stupid” lives. Sorry to be so ‘Blunt’.
Have to disagree. No substance is worse than the synthetic opiates designed and manufactured by pharmaceutical companies. Fentanyl, OxyContin, Norco, etc. – all so commonly prescribed, addictive, and deadly that we now have pain management specialists required to attempt to prevent lifetime use or death. People aren’t overdosing and dying on BART trains and in BART bathrooms by using pot. Those street “zombies” people photograph to show how bad city streets have become are not that way from smoking pot. Many people end up on street heroin because they have become addicted to prescription synthetic opioids and the heroin is cheaper. Cannabis has been used throughout history with minimal impact but synthetic opioids have destroyed a lot in a short amount of time.
MIKE MCDERMOTT,
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We aren’t “restricting tobacco smoking,” we’re only restricting the sale of tobacco products. It will make little to no difference in tobacco use. It’ll only make a difference in how these products are obtained. Get ready for thefts of these products to increase by those that are underage.
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There are reasons to be concerned about the use of Cannabis/Marijuana among Americans. The fact that it’s legal under California law and other State laws is meaningless, it’s still illegal under federal law, so employers can still fire employees just for using Cannabis/Marijuana products, which can lead to financial devastation, and other problems they may never recover from.
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I had two experiences with individuals that used Marijuana that really bothered me. One was a doctor performing a surgical procedure on me that went on and on throughout the procedure about the legalization and use of Marijuana, including his own use. The second was while I was visiting family in Washington, and watched a 21-year old second cousin use Marijuana just hours before he went to work as a nurse in a hospital. I didn’t find either situation appropriate.
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I also simply don’t understand the attraction to and use of Cannabis/Marijuana products. If it truly can help someone with a medical issue is one thing, but I don’t care for this “dispensary system” that we have here in California. Having had family members and a close family friend killed by drunk and/or drugged drivers, I’m also extremely concerned about individuals traveling and driving on our roadways while under the influence of Cannabis/Marijuana.
Whew!! We are all so much safer now!! Now let’s go after Big Candy!!
AD
Living is not safe, why compound it with stupid choices?
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Tobacco products are already restricted for sale to adults 18 and over. In principle, this unduly restricts commerce by adults.
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But go ahead and have no restrictions to “curb youth access” to marijuana products.
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Liberals are simply tax revenue whores.
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EXIT 12A,
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Actually, the State of California raised the legal age to buy tobacco products to age 21 several years ago, except for active duty military.
If you or your kids vape, either get life and health insurance now while you still can, or up your coverage by a large margin. There is coming a day of reckoning.
Concord PD absolutely gutted this prohibition during the council meeting and refused to enforce the regulations as council originally intended. Council wanted to codify the regulations into law but Chief of Police refused to agree to staff enforcement of a code so Council reduced it to a resolution. Council wanted two enforcement checks per year and at least one undercover sting style check up on selling to minors. Chief of Police said he would do no more than one check up and no undercover operations. So Council changed it to one check up per year, no undercover checks, and quarterly monitoring by Code Enforcement officers, who will rely largely on complaints submitted by the public through the Concord Connect app to check for noncompliance. Tail was wagging the dog all the way. Chief of Police did agree to revisit all this after at least one year from the date the resolution goes into “effect.”
Thanks for the facts. Tail is wagging the dog!
That’s why I shop at the Native American stores. Can buy whatever I want and half the price.
Another adult freedom taken away for our own good by our caring politicians. What’s next? I guess I’ll just go pickup some bubble gum flavored joints at the cannabis shop.
All the shops will still sell them behind a curtain or out of a drawer.
So what other vice the government says it has decreed needs to be taxed, banned or limited is ok. I say hell no. They are already going after guns, Free speech and religion. Time for lawsuits and a Revolution.
Why isn’t there anything in this bill about locking up people who supply tobacco to minors?
LOCAL LADY,
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Existing state law should already take care of that.
Wow Youth must be making a lot of bread to afford patronizing all that CRAP.
So this means all cigs will go up to $10 a pack or more when right now they can be $7.50? where is the extra $2.50 going? I feel bad for the stores this is out of their conttol. I will go to PH or MTZ or wherever. this is BS it will not stop kids, parents need to control their kids and need to be responsible for their child it’s not up to the whole city!!