Beverly Hills Officially Became The First State To Totally Ban Tobacco

Since New Year’s Day, Beverly Hills made history as it became the first state to implement a statewide tobacco ban. The ban that was passed through the council in 2019 was finally realized when the year changed to 2021.

Now it is illegal to find tobacco products being sold in local businesses with the exceptions of three cigar lounges and hotels that are allowed to sell them to guests.

The only basis businesses can operate in selling cigar products are due to “undue hardship” when the ban is put in place. After applying for  hardship exemption, permittees may sell tobacco products for a limited time.

Before this first one-of-its-kind ban, Beverly Hills already enacted strict laws regarding smoking. Previously, smoking is banned in multi-unit housing and flavored tobaccos are illegal.

Mayor Lester Friedman of Beverly Hills announced, “It was over 30 years ago that Beverly Hills became the first City in California to prohibit smoking inside restaurants. Since then, we have continued to implement policies that will ultimately save lives.”

The City Council will also review the impact of their tobacco ban on tourism for the next three years.