The Santa Cruz City Council moved closer this week to becoming the latest local jurisdiction to ban the sale of filtered tobacco products within city limits.
County supervisors approved a plan to ban cigarettes and other filtered tobacco products last fall, while the Capitola City Council voted in April to explore the idea. The effort is driven less by health concerns than by environmental ones, with lawmakers pointing to the effects of tobacco trash littering beaches, oceans and the natural environment.
A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration study from 2023 found that cigarette filters comprise nearly a quarter of trash in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and in the city of Santa Cruz alone, tobacco litter cleanup costs over $2 million annually.
“We owe it to future generations to take bold action today to protect our environment,” Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley said in a statement.
Santa Cruz city councilmembers approved the first reading of an ordinance prohibiting the sale of filtered tobacco products Tuesday; a final vote is set for the council’s meeting on June 24. In each local jurisdiction, the ban isn’t expected to be enforced until 2027 to give retailers and smokers time to prepare for the change. Under the county law, by 2027, tobacco retailers could lose their license or have their license suspended if they still offer filtered cigarettes for sale.
Support for the city’s ordinance has come from both the county-led Tobacco Waste Ad Hoc Subcommittee and the Tobacco Education Coalition. The city said in a statement that the ordinance would lead to further coordination among the city, county agencies and community health organizations.
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