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BACKGROUND The Youth Commission was provided the following information: • Alameda County Public Health Department says that with regard to underage users: 87.6% have used a flavored tobacco product.(fruit and sweet most popular) 81% choose flavored tobacco as.their first product. • Presentation from Flavors Hook Kids Livermore about high rates of underage usage of flavored tobacco products, and the City of Livermore's prohibition. • Alameda County Tobacco Control Program says that with regard to underage students: 30% have used e -cigarettes 20%p currently use e -cigarettes 11%currently use e -cigarettes in school 79%0 .believe it is easy to obtain e -cigarettes 57% believe it is easy to obtain -cigarettes • The Youth Commission's Public Policy Subcommittee also researched and considered health effects of tobacco and e -cigarettes. DISCUSSION 1'. Prohibit -the sale of flavored tobacco products city -wide. -The Youth Commission has recommended that the City Council adopt an ordinance to prohibit the retail sale of flavored tobacco products city-wide. This would apply to cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, e -cigarette liquids (whether or not it contains tobacco or nicotine), snuff, and. pipe tobacco which have a taste or aroma of menthol, mint, wintergreen, fruit, chocolate, vanilla, honey, candy, cocoa, dessert, alcoholic beverage, herb, spice or other characterizing flavor. As of October 2019, about 42 communities in California have restricted the sale of flavored tobacco products, including locally: Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Contra Costa.. . County;. EI Cerrito, Hayward, Lafayette, Livermore; Oakland, Palo Alto; Richmond, San Leandro, and. San Pablo.' Palo Alto, Oakland, Santa Clara County and other cities have an exemption for stores serving only persons 21 -or older. The policy argument in support of such an exemption is that underage persons are not permitted in such stores, so concerns about youth exposure decrease, while continuing to allow adults over 21 to select flavored products. Other policy arguments are concerns that such a ban limits choices for adults over 21, particularly the 88.5% of African American smokers who prefer menthol cigarettes:z 1 Information from Tobacco. Free Kids, an advocacy group: httr)s://www.tobaccofreekids.6rg/assets/factsheets/03§8.pdf ?.See https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/disparities/african-americans/index.htm The Centers for. Disease . . Control and Prevention further advises that: "Historically, marketing and promotion of menthol cigarettes Page 3 of 9