Beverly Hills, the city for the rich and famous, will soon be known for something that will shock the nation. It’s not celebrity gossip or something scandalous, though.
This past Tuesday, the Beverly Hills city council announced they will ban the sale of all tobacco products.
This law effectively bans the sale of not only cigarettes and cigars, but also dissolvable products, electronic cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and water pipes. This law is the first of its kind in the United States.
This isn’t Beverly Hills’ first crackdown on tobacco, though. The city already bans smoking in public areas like parks and apartment complexes. The city council wants their citizens to breathe clean air. They feel this new law will help clear the city of smokers. As we already know, air pollution is a major concern throughout our country. Although this doesn’t remove all toxic chemicals, it is a great step in the right direction.
Furthermore, the city council hopes that removing these products will mean children won’t be interested in this unhealthy habit.
Smoking residents of Beverly Hills may not love this new law. Councilwoman Lili Bosse says the move isn’t telling people that they can’t smoke — only that the city will no longer enable tobacco consumption. Currently, California has one of the lowest smoking rates in the country. So, this law may not rock the boat as much as it sounds.
The law does also provide a few exemptions. Hotel concierges may still sell cigarettes to registered guests, and the city’s three existing cigar lounges will also receive an exemption.
The law becomes effective January 1 , 2021.
Feature Image by David Yanutama on Unsplash
