Advocates say tobacco companies are targeting children by making their products look and taste like candy.
Chula Vista could become the next city in the county to ban the sale of flavored tobacco. The proposal goes before the city council there tomorrow night but KPBS reporter Alexander Nguyen says the ban’s supporters were at City Hall today.
Supporters of the measure rallied in front of City Hall Monday for its passage. They included Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas, who said the tobacco companies are targeting children with flavored tobacco products made to look like candies, with flavors such as cotton candy and watermelon. For Salas, the issue is personal. Her 20-year-old granddaughter became addicted to vaping when she was still in high school.
That experience is common for middle and high school students. More than one-third of high school students have tried a flavored tobacco product in Chula Vista, according to a study completed last year.“One student told me that during Secret Santa, someone had asked for a vaping thing," she said."And it was so well hidden that the teacher didn’t even know about it. So they’re secret Santa gifts, which to me is shocking.