“San Diegans Vs. Big Tobacco '' pressures the Mayor and City Council of San Diego and Chula Vista to pass local ordinances to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products. The coalition consists of health, parent and community organizations launching a campaign specifically in these cities in an effort to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products including cigarettes, flavored cigars, e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and flavored shisha.
In 2020, California acted to end the sale of flavored tobacco products but the law is on hold because the tobacco industry spent $20 million to try to overturn the legislation through a November 2022 referendum. According to San Diegans Vs. Big Tobacco Campaign Manager, Adrian Kwiatkowski If these cities enact these two ordinances we will protect more than half of the population of our county and that is just the beginning.
“It's one of those questions where 'yes' means 'no' and 'no' means 'yes'. Big tobacco will exploit that confusion and spend hundreds of millions of dollars on that campaign, and that is why we need San Diego to join the other largest cities in California to enact their own local ordinances” Adrian Kwiatkowski said.
In conjunction with it’s campaign launch, San Diegans Vs. Big Tobacco encouraged the community at large to call their city officials to do their part by “passing ordinances to end the sale of flavored tobacco now”. The campaign urges mayors and city councils in San Diego and in Chula Vista to enact local ordinances that will end the sale of flavored tobacco products which disproportionately impact youth by using flavors like gummy bear, chocolate and cherry dynamite.
“The big tobacco industry is setting our kids up for a grim future playing tricks with their favorite treats, all to keep increasing profits. As a proud grandmother of four and great grandmother, I am deeply concerned about the skyrocketing tobacco use rates among our youth” said American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network volunteer, Elizabeth Martin.
Currently, San Diego is one of the largest cities in the state without an ordinance ending the sale of flavored tobacco products. Once ordinances are adopted by San Diego and Chula Vista, they will join more than 100 cities and counties statewide, including San Francisco, San Jose, Long Beach and Sacramento that are cracking down on the sale of flavored tobacco products,
“Our children are innocent here. Big tobacco are predators and they do not care about our lives and they don't care about our children’s lives. They care about money exclusively and they know exactly what to do. We check out children’s Halloween candy because people can be predators, and they know how to package things in brightly sweet packages to get children’s attention.” said board certified pediatrician and owner of Doctoring Differently, Naomi Lawerence-Reid, M.D.
The latest data shows that over 2 million kids used e-cigarettes in 2021, according to 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey. Of the students surveyed during the 2019-2020 California Student Tobacco Survey, 84.2 percent said they used because “their friends use them,” 72 percent said because they “come in lots of flavors” and 70.6 percent said because they “look interesting and cool”.
San Diego Resident Janan Moein, E-cigarette or Vaping Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) survivor and student at Grossmont College nearly died due to a vaping associated injury in 2018 which placed him in a coma and on life support for 14 days. His injury threatened to lose both of his lungs. He said, “ As someone who has suffered tremendously as a result of tobacco and vape laws, I am an advocate for progress and change to protect those most at risk, which are young people.”
“I’ve worked with hundreds of middle school and high school students in San Diego and witnessed the resurgence of nicotine addiction among these students,” Moein said. “San Diego and Chula Vista must uphold a higher standard of oversight on tobacco products in order to better protect residents. Our elected officials need to be champions of change on this issue. I dream that one day thousands of kids can lead healthier lives and avoid addiction to nicotine.”
According to Lawrene-Reid, a child's lungs aren't fully developed until they are at least 20 years old. Pediatricians have seen how pervasive Big Tobacco has become in adolescent culture.
“First they get hooked by the advertising, YouTube channels. They know exactly how to get these children. That secrecy and those behaviors starting so early have transcended into all aspects of their lives. We always see slides in their grades, their attention and attendance at school,"
For more information on “San Diegans Vs. Big Tobacco”, visit the campaign’s website at sandiegansvsbigtobacco.org or follow on Twitter at @sdvsbigtobacco
