SACRAMENTO – Sen. Mike McGuire joined Senator Jerry Hill and 16 other California State legislators on Wednesday to introduce legislation that would ban the sale of flavored tobacco in the Golden State.

“Lured by fruit, candy and other kid-friendly flavors, high school and middle school students throughout the U.S. are vaping in record numbers,” said Senator Hill. “We must stop the appalling epidemic of e-cigarette use among youth.”

“We know that stopping young people from ever picking up a tobacco product is the most effective way to keep them from smoking or vaping later in life,” McGuire said. “It’s crystal clear flavored tobacco products are marketed directly to young people and we’re proud to partner with Senator Hill to pass this critical legislation that will help keep generations of California kids healthy.”

Senate Bill 38, which will prohibit retail stores and vending machines in California from selling flavored tobacco products, will combat the alarming rise of e-cigarette use by teens and other minors as reported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report released in November showed that more than 3.6 million middle and high school students are using e-cigarettes – that’s an increase of 1.5 million since 2017 and almost 13 times higher than the number of teens and other young people using e-cigarettes in 2011.

The stunning growth between 2017 and 2018 amounted to a 78 percent increase in e-cigarette use by high school students and a 48 percent increase by middle school students.

The lure of flavored tobacco products for youth is well-documented. 80 percent of young people who have ever used tobacco started with a flavored product, according to figures compiled by the California Department of Public Health. 70 percent of youth who reported current use of a tobacco product said that they use a flavored product, according to the CDC.

In addition to Senators McGuire and Hill, Joint Authors of the bill are: Senators Steve Glazer, D-Orinda and Anthony Portantino, D-Cañada Flintridge. Assemblymembers Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, and Jim Wood, D-Santa Rosa, are principal coauthors. The other coauthors of the bill are Senators Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, Jim Beall, D-San Jose, Connie M. Leyva, D-Chino, Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and Assemblymembers Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica, Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, Patrick O’Donnell, D-Long Beach, Mark Stone, D-Monterey Bay, and Phil Ting, D-San Francisco.

SB 38 was approved in the Senate Health committee Wednesday afternoon. It will be heard next in the Senate Appropriations Committee.