On Tuesday the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve two amendments to the tobacco ordinance that was enacted in December 2022. The first amendment requires tobacco products in stores to be located behind or under a counter, or locked so that customers will need employee assistance to get the products in any shop open to all ages. Previously, the ordinance stated tobacco products and advertisements could not be displayed or placed within five feet of candy, snacks and nonalcoholic beverages.
The second amendment creates some wiggle room in the ordinance. The ordinance originally said that there could be no coupons on discounts for tobacco products but the board and Public Health Director Sofia Pereira agreed to an exemption for cigars, loose leaf and flavored shisha tobacco products. Following the passage of Senate Bill 793, which banned the sale of flavored cigarettes, the Board of Supervisors requested an ordinance from the Department of Health and Human Services.
The ordinance was eventually adopted in July 2023. Earlier this year, the board and DHHS discussed revisions to the ordinance, with two of the revisions being passed Tuesday. While the ordinance is still in its infancy, 55 of the 57 retailers have already processed their applications within the ordinance with 51 of them having passed according to Pereira.
There’s currently a cap of 54 licenses in the incorporated areas of the county, one license for every 2,500 people, with the cap cl.
