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Contra Costa County Could End Its Ban On Vapes

No Vaping Sign, Starplex Cinema
Mike Mozart
/
Flickr / Creative Commons
No Vaping Sign, Starplex Cinema

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors has been trying to prevent tobacco use among minors. In 2019, it banned the sale of vapes not reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Products like cannabis vapes and flavored e-cigarettes have not been available even in unincorporated areas.

Supervisors are now taking a second look at the ban. Health officials offered them some potential options in a meeting on Tuesday.

They recommended that the county maintain current prohibitions on the sale and delivery of flavored cannabis including electronic smoking devices and e-liquids.

Other options involved reducing restrictions overall. Officials suggested banning only flavored e-liquids. These products have drawn national attention after companies like Juul marketed them to children in the past.

Contra Costa County has not yet reached a decision. But it might not even matter, because vapes and other e-cigs could soon be removed from the market entirely. The Food and Drug Administration will vote on whether or not to allow the sale of vapes in September.