Los Angeles County Flavor Ban Ordinance Challenged by Lawsuit

The following article was submitted by the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO)
On June 1, 2020, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, American Snuff Company, LLC, and Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc. filed a lawsuit in the Federal District Court for the Central District of California against the County of Los Angeles and the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against the Los Angeles County Tobacco Ordinance which bans the sale of menthol cigarettes and every flavored tobacco product.

Background:  On September 24, 2019, the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance that prohibits the sale of menthol cigarettes and all flavored tobacco products.  While the Board of Supervisors was primarily concerned about responding to the youth vaping issue, the ordinance enacted much broader sales prohibitions making it illegal to sell any flavored tobacco product or component, part or accessory of a tobacco product that imparts a characterizing flavor other than the taste or aroma of tobacco.

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