Hahn Offers Plan to Curb Cigarette Sales to Minors
City Atty. James Hahn on Wednesday sent the City Council his proposal to require all tobacco retailers in Los Angeles to get city permits, a move intended to help with the crackdown on cigarette sales to minors.
The ordinance drafted by Hahn would require every retailer to obtain a free permit and would create a computer database of all permit holders. It would also provide funding for a staff to mount sting operations against suspected scofflaw retailers, making sure they are not selling tobacco products to minors.
“More than 80% of daily smokers in the U.S. had their first cigarette before they were 18 years old and 35% before they were 14 years old,” Hahn said.
“A person who does not begin smoking in childhood is unlikely to ever begin, and that is why it is so vital that we get serious about enforcing the laws against the sale of tobacco to kids in Los Angeles,” he said.
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