Edan Lazarus-Abundez, a student representing Sweetwater Union High School District, says that minor smoking is a huge problem in his school in South County.
“For students like me, I have often seen my peers go to school with a vape or a cigarette in hand,” he told leaders of the national city on Tuesday. “They will smoke in the bathrooms and sometimes even in the class, hiding it by exhaling in their backpack.”
Observed by its testimonies and the others, the municipal council voted to explore the creation of a retail license policy of tobacco intended to limit smoking among minors.
The rules would force retailers to obtain an annual permit to sell tobacco products; Respect state and federal laws regulating packaging, labeling and prices; and prohibit flavored tobacco products. The prescription also prohibits new licenses within 1,000 feet of the facilities oriented towards young people, another tobacco store or a cannabis retailer. He would also limit the number of retail licenses to one for 2,500 residents.
According to an assessment of the non -profit organization Say San Diego, there are more than 50 retailers within the national city. If the city limits licenses to one for 2,500 residents, up to only 22 would be authorized for approval. Assuming that most of the existing retailers get a license, no new retail license would be authorized without attrition, said city staff.
A draft order could have come before the officials for a vote in May, said Martin Reeder, deputy director of community development of the city. If it is adopted, National City would join the county and several other cities with tobacco retail license programs, including Chula Vista, El Cajon, Escondido, Lemon Grove, Oceanside, San Diego, San Marcos, Solana Beach and Vista.
National City can implement a policy similar to that of Chula Vista and the county. The Chula Vista program, administered by its police service, has $ 322 per year and requires compliance checks every two years. In addition to a permit for city tobacco retailers, companies are required to maintain a state permit. County costs are $ 730 per year and require annual compliance checks with lure operations.
Reeder said that the city could charge costs closer to that of the county, make checks at least every two years and have lure operations according to the staff workload.
Let us say that San Diego noted that of the 54 tobacco retailers and 16 schools at National City, 81% of schools are located less than 1,000 feet of these stores. A study in 2021 of the San Diego State University and Sweetwater School District revealed that 42%, or 300 students, obtain vaping products in convenience stores and vape stores. Another study revealed that 18% of National City stores had sold tobacco products to a minor volunteer and 26% of store clerks did not ask investigators to their identity document.
“The objective of this program is not to prevent people who are legally authorized to buy and use tobacco or vaping products; He is not targeting this population, “said the member of the Council Luz Molina. “But if there are children who have access to this genre and … if there is something we can do and that we have the power to do it, then we should.”
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