Controversy Surrounding Sales of Marijuana E-Cigarettes in California

On Tuesday, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors will consider an ordinance that would allow for the sale and delivery of flavorless marijuana e-cigarette products.

County officials are suggesting and directing the county health department to develop a plan aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of youth marijuana use and curbing the illicit market. They are also seeking to submit a recommended plan to the committee with the support of the cannabis industry.

Despite California voters approving Proposition 64 in 2016, which legalized the use of recreational marijuana for adults (the proposition received approval from over 60% of county voters), regulatory officials passed a law in 2018 to standardize commercial marijuana activities.

This law establishes standards for the sale and delivery of cannabis products and requires anyone engaging in commercial cannabis activities or deliveries to obtain a county health permit, as well as any other permits required by the county and state.

The city of Contra Costa has given the green light to the sale of recreational marijuana e-cigarette products, which is not allowed in unincorporated areas.

The new regulation only applies to flavorless electronic cigarette products. In November 2019, the county council banned the sale of tobacco electronic cigarette products, flavored tobacco products, and mint-flavored cigarettes. The law also prohibits the sale or delivery of marijuana electronic cigarette products.

During Tuesday's meeting, officials reported that it is evident that many elderly and other adult individuals rely on cannabis e-cigarettes for both entertainment and medical purposes. However, as per current regulations, elderly and adult individuals in non-legal areas are prohibited from obtaining e-cigarette products.

A new regulation will allow the sale and delivery of unflavored cannabis e-cigarette products in independent regions while continuing to prohibit the sale of tobacco e-cigarette products, flavored tobacco products, mint cigarettes, and flavored cannabis products in these areas. The purpose of this regulation is to ensure that elderly and other adult users of cannabis e-cigarette products do not use unregulated and potentially contaminated products, and to address geographical fairness in obtaining legal products.

2FIRSTS will continue to provide ongoing coverage of this topic, with future updates available on the '2FIRSTS APP'. Scan the QR code below to download the app.