(San Francisco, CA) – The California State Assembly passed a package of bills today to enact comprehensive tobacco reform. The legislation now moves to the State Senate for further review. Ting’s statement follows.
“We stood up to big tobacco to protect our kids and workers. These are long overdue reforms to protect the public from the dangers of tobacco. We strengthened workplace protections from second hand smoke, enforcement against those who sell tobacco to kids, and applied tobacco regulations onto e-cigarettes which are shamelessly marketed to our kids.”
According to the California Department of Public Health, 63% of smokers start by the age of 18, and 97% start by age 26. Smoking rates declined from 23.7% in 1988 and to 11.7% in 2013. This reflects a 51% decline since the California Tobacco Control Program began. Further information about tobacco use in California is available online at http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/tobacco/Documents/Resources/Fact%20Sheets/2015FactsFigures-web2.pdf.