The crackdown on Stockton’s smoke shops has begun.
During recent inspections aimed at enforcing state and local tobacco control laws, the Police Department’s Special Investigations Section teamed up with California tax agents to visit smoke shops in the city and write citations when they found violations.
Authorities seized $55,000 worth of flavored tobacco products during the past few weeks and cited several shops they say were operating without licenses. They also confiscated an illegal gambling machine and an illegally possessed gun.
California voters upheld a statewide ban on flavored tobacco products in 2022 by approving Proposition 31, which confirmed a law passed by the Legislature in 2020. The ban prohibits the sale of most flavored tobacco, including menthol cigarettes and flavored vape products, in an effort to reduce youth access.
A new law, Assembly Bill 3218, is set to take effect in 2025 and will establish a list of “permissibly unflavored” products authorized for sale, allowing state and local agencies to seize illegal items and impose civil penalties.
Stockton also has its own tobacco control measures. City law requires that any business selling tobacco products must obtain a local tobacco retail license when renewing its business license. Retailers found in violation can face fines exceeding $1,000 and risk losing their license.
The crackdown comes as city leaders have expressed growing concern over the proliferation of smoke shops near schools and parks and allegations that some are selling restricted products to minors.
The Stockton City Council in March unanimously approved a 45-day moratorium on new smoke shops and the expansion or relocation of existing ones, calling it a temporary step toward developing stricter regulations.
“We have simply allowed this, unbeknownst to us, to allow this to get so far out of control,” Mayor Christina Fugazi said at the March meeting. “Our children are not for sale.”
Fugazi is among those hoping for an overhaul and toughening of Stockton’s laws. She wants every smoke shop to be inspected at least once a year.
Police said inspections of smoke shops will continue in coordination with partner agencies.