THOUSAND OAKS : Cigarette Machines Allowed in Bars Only
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Hoping to keep tobacco out of the hands of children, the Thousand Oaks City Council has voted to ban cigarette vending machines in all areas of the city but bars.
Mayor Jaime Zukowski, who proposed the ordinance, said vending machines give minors their easiest access to cigarettes.
Winifred Meiser, a Thousand Oaks resident who spoke in favor of the ordinance at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, agreed. She said tobacco companies could sell to children through the machines without accepting responsibility.
Esther Schiller of Newbury Park also supported the measure. “We wouldn’t think about selling guns in machines,” she said. “Cigarettes just work a little slower.”
Although the ordinance permits cigarette vending machines in bars, the machines must be kept inside, at least 25 feet from the entrance.
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