Blue Cave New Consumer Report, January 29th, according to foreign news reports, cities in California, USA should fight the sales of seasoning electronic cigarettes. This type of electronic cigarette is now illegal in the state. But even cities that have forbidden such electronic cigarettes for many years are unwilling -or cannot -supervise sellers.

Earlier this month, the STAT media visited 24 electronic cigarette stores in Oaksnad, Ventura, Passadina, Elmont, Carson and West Hollywood -all these shops have banned sales of seasoning electronics Smoke for at least one year; most of them lasted for two years or longer.

17 stores, that is, 70%, sell these products anyway. A city performed much better than other cities: in Oxnad, we visited five stores, but none of the shops sold seasoning electronic cigarettes.

Many sellers of these products seem to be blatantly despised the law without being punished. In the city of Weitura, which banned electronic cigarettes in December 2019, five of the six stores visited by STAT were sold illegal products. Two stores selling electronic cigarettes are located on the city's bustling major streets and less than a block from the city hall.

Others are making the smallest efforts to show compliance.

El Monte's cigarette shop banned the sale of seasoning products in January 2021, and retained a hand -made signs above its electronic cigarette display rack, which reads "non -selling products". A employee there was asked to sell an energy -flavored electronic cigarette in time in time and did not protest.

Buying seasoning electronic cigarettes in California is not illegal; only sales products are illegal.

Openly contempt of these local laws indicate that the state's newly promulgated edible flavors ban are unfavorable.

Voters in California issued a seasoning electronic cigarette ban within the state in November, which took effect in December. The implementation of the new law will be handled by the same local judicial jurisdiction of the same local judicial jurisdiction, rather than the greater power prosecutor.

The newly promulgated state law is also very weak: retailers can be fined $ 250 each time in violation of regulations, but the law does not include punishment for increasing criminals. Retailers will not be revoked for repeated violations of the law, just like they are caught and selling products to children -even though cities and counties with stricter laws can continue to apply.

Former State Senator Jehiri was a Democrat and the main sponsor of the state ban. He said that he was shocked and angry about STAT's reports. Because the term of office has to step down at the end of 2020, Hill, who has stepped down at the end of 2020, will stop selling these products for more and more retailers, but he admits that he may eventually modify the law to strengthen the country's law enforcement power.

Hill said: It would be better if there is a stricter punishment ... but politics is the art of compromise. He acknowledged that he would not ignore the law completely.

"If it does not work ... then other things will follow," he added.

At the federal level, the Democratic Representative of Carson, NANETTE BARRAGN, expressed similar frustrations. Carson was the place where four stores discovered by STAT illegally sold and seasoned electronic cigarettes.

When the report was informed of STAT, she said: I am very worried that the store seems to be selling seasoning tobacco products when the ban is implemented. This ban needs to be executed so that we can ensure that these dangerous products are far from young people.

The State flavor ban issued by California may also have an impact on the country. The state is the largest state in the country, and it is also the fifth state that completely prohibits all seasoning electronic cigarette products. It is regarded as an example of other states. So far this year, eight states have introduced similar legislation.

"The whole country is paying attention to California's approach," said Matmels, chairman of the smokeless children's movement that supports flavor ban. (The movement is the same as STAT, which has been funded by the Bloomberg Charity Foundation.) "If California succeeds, it will clearly show the potential of the spice ban to reduce the use of tobacco and a few people. If California fails, it will fail, it will It will give an argument for the industry, that is, these laws are invalid. "

At least part of the continuous popularity of seasoning products is due to the lack of supervision efforts in cities. When STAT asked the inspections and violations issued by each city in which they investigated, only Passadine and Carson provided the data.

Passaldina said it has fined a business since its active implementation of the ban in July last year. Since the implementation of the ban in 2021, Carson has not issued a ticket and only completed two inspections.

In many electronic cigarette shops visited by STAT, you will not know that these products are illegal. Their shelves are filled with cheap disposable seasonings used by more and more young people.

For example, a store in Western Hollywood shows about 30 flavors of ELF Bars and at least 20 flavors of Flum. This is the two most popular electronic cigarette brands. They produce products of bubble sugar, fudge, and rainbow, eating, drinking, and fun.

Stores often publicize and sell these products. For example, a store of Ventura showed a window sticker that promoted that it was an authorized Flum retailer, and there were 27 flavors of products -shop owners even voluntarily said that he had the latest taste Rums Freeze.

Some stores are more secret about their sales. 10 stores visited by STAT only took out seasoning products when asked. A employee of a Ventura e -cigarette shop acknowledged that after she pulled out a car e -cigarette from behind the curtain, these products were sold at low prices.

A store in Passaldina showed the window stickers against the flavor ban, which told STAT that disposable supplies -and only one -time supplies -must be purchased with cash.

There was a warning sign on the counter of another store, "Immediate effect, California law prohibits the sale of seasoning tobacco products."

The only city that can't find various flavors of electronic cigarettes is Oxnad. It is one of the first cities that are prohibited from these products in 2019. There, STAT can only find electronic cigarettes of tobacco and transparent flavors. These products are mainly tasteless products being promoted on the Internet as a faint mint flavor.

Already about whether these transparent products are legal under California law. Tobacco control advocates insist that they should be illegal. Although according to industry publication Filter, some electronic cigarette shops have been informed by regulatory agencies that they can sell these products.

Even though Oxnard's seasoning electronic cigarette ban played a large extent as expected, it is still easy to find seasoning electronic cigarettes nearby.

A store employee of Oxnad suggested that STAT visited the town of Port Hueneme, neighboring, and the town had not implemented its own flavor ban before the state law. There, STAT discovered that three electronic cigarette stores sold seasoning products within a two -mile radius, and the signs outside one of the shops stated "we provide all your seasonings".

Stat's stores visited by Port Hueneme are not included in the statistics of its 24 stores, because the city has issued a flavor ban only when the state law was promulgated.

I don't know how California will solve law enforcement issues. Some people want the situation to start solving themselves.

The owners of several stores visited by STAT did voluntarily say that they are selling the remaining inventory after the referendum in November. Although this is illegal, it remains to be observed whether these companies will start to comply with the law after recovering the investment.

Alman also told STAT that after some of our law enforcement activities were suspended during COVID, it plans to launch a comprehensive law enforcement operation on March 1.

Former State Senator Richard Pan is a Democrat and the active supporters and co -sponsor of the ban. He said that he hopes that as retailers understand the policy, the situation will improve. He argued that the efforts to vote for the first law signed by the governor in 2020 may cause some retailers to be confused about the products they can sell.

"There are a lot of confusing information there. Now everything is solved, it is time for everyone to reach an agreement." Pan said that he acknowledged that most of the owners wanted to abide by the law.

However, when STAT describes some stores to openly contemn in the law, even Pan thinks that additional law enforcement may be needed.

"They need to understand the consequences of this," Pan said.

In California, different institutions of different institutions that supervise electronic cigarette stores in different judicial jurisdictions to different institutions with different tasks.

In Elmong, the execution of the ban is responsible for the police department and the law enforcement department. However, in Carson, it is processed by the municipal financial department. In Passaldina, it is the public health department.

It is unclear how long the municipal authorities that do not have a long -term flavor ban can formulate their own law enforcement plans. State law does not specifically stipulate which local agencies should be responsible for law enforcement, nor does it set a timetable for each place to formulate law enforcement plans. The law does not provide funds for local agencies to implement this law enforcement.

Former California Prosecutor and State Senator Bill Lockyer believes that the state needs to send strong information to indicate that it will enforce law. But it is difficult for him to clarify how this happened.

"I think some law enforcement that can notice people may be useful." Lockee said. "I don't know who will do this."

Supporters of the law acknowledge that it may need to modify it to give the country greater power to trace retailers ignored the law.

Eric Lindblom, a senior scholar at Georgen University, proposed some methods that can strengthen the law, including allowing regulators to close the shops that repeatedly violated the law and allowed inspectors to confiscate and destroy them in them in Illegal products found in supermarkets. Shelf.

"It is really great in place. This is a very, very clear statement, that is, seasoning tobacco products should not be put on the market. But it seems that we have encountered some procedures, law enforcement and administrative issues." Lindblom said.

Some advocates also called on the Minister of Justice to inspect their legal authority by investigating the state's banned electronic cigarette manufacturers and distributors.

"If California does not quickly implement this law on manufacturers and distributors, then trying to implement [will] a nightmare of the store is an attempt to enforce the nightmare of law enforcement." Mels, who smokeless children's movement, said. "They have a strong law, unless they take action on the stakeholders who produce and distribute these products in the state within the state, the law will not take effect."

Mels insisted that the state has the right to trace these industries, although the law has not mentioned fines or other sanctions on these industries. Other legal experts are not sure whether California has such power, because they say that this may be regarded as an inter -trade in the state that illegal supervision can only be supervised by the federal government.

"Some people may send alarm on national players." Andrew Twinamatsiko said that he was a lawyer who had provided suggestions to California on the California Control Law and is now the deputy director of the Health Policy and Legal Proposal of Georgetown University. "There may be a good route to walk there."

Whether the decision to take such actions may fall in the hands of Rob Bonta, the chief procurator of California. Bangta refused to accept STAT interviews, and refused to disclose whether he would play a more active role in prosecution of the offenders.

The AG office stated in a written statement, "The prosecution and execution of the retail flavor ban, such as the Ventura Act or SB 793, is usually dealt with at a local level." AG does not directly answer whether the office has the right to directly trace the manufacturer and the manufacturer and the manufacturer and the manufacturer and The problem of retailers, but indeed pointed out that the agency can crack down on the trafficking and distribution of illegal products.

The office also emphasized that the office has provided millions of dollars of donations to the local judicial region to help execute laws and several speeches by the office with local health and law enforcement agencies.