SAN DIEGO — On Thursday, County Supervisors Dianne Jacob and Nathan Fletcher held a news conference to discuss their proposals to crack down on the sale and distribution of flavored tobacco and e-cigarettes.
You can watch the full conference here:
Jacob and Fletcher also released new numbers on vaping-related illnesses in the county. According to Jacob, 43 people have ended up in San Diego hospitals for vaping-related illnesses. These people range from age 17 to 70.
The County Health and Human Services Agency confirmed the 43rd case on Wednesday.
"We are facing a public health crisis," said Jacob.
According to Dr. Wilma Wooten, the San Diego County Public Health Officer, those epidemiologists evaluated 30 of those 43 people. Those people with lung injuries vaped different substances. Wooten says some only vaped nicotine, some vaped THC, some vaped CBD and some vaped a combination of those.
"That's not only in San Diego, but also nationwide," said Wooten.
"There is no regulatory framework for these devices right now," said Fletcher.
This conference comes just after the San Diego Unified School District filed a lawsuit against JUUL on Tuesday. The school district alleges that JUUL has marketed their products to children.
The Board of Supervisors is set to consider new vaping restrictions at its meeting on Tuesday.
The board will vote on three ordinances that would dramatically restrict vaping in unincorporated areas of San Diego County.
The first would ban flavored tobacco.
"This includes bubblegum, mango, crème brûlée, vanilla and even menthol and mint," said Fletcher.
The second vote will be on a one-year moratorium on all e-cigarette devices in unincorporated parts of the county.
"If the FDA comes out and says 'these products are safe for retail and consumption' then our moratorium will be lifted," said Fletcher.
The third vote will be on smoke-free outdoor dining in unincorporated parts of the county.
"According to the CDC Second hand smoke causes 41,000 preventable deaths each year in non-smoking individuals," said Fletcher.
"Lives hang in the balance," said Jacob."Children should not be anywhere near these products."
If passed, these new restrictions would go into effect on July 1 after an educational period. That wouldn't apply to any products that are FDA-approved. This would also give businesses a few months to sell their inventory and plan ahead.