Bill Targets Cigarette Displays

The state Senate passed and sent to the Assembly on Thursday a bill that would outlaw self-service displays of cigarettes at retail stores.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Martha Escutia (D-Whittier) on behalf of Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer, would subject violators to fines ranging from $200 for the first offense to $6,000 for multiple violations.

The proposal, approved 22 to 12, also would ban the distribution of free cigarettes, snuff and other tobacco products on private property open to the public.

As a matter of corporate policy, many retailers have voluntarily eliminated self-service tobacco displays, which typically have been readily accessible to purchasers without assistance from store workers.

In addition, 73 counties and cities, including Los Angeles, have outlawed such displays, a Senate analysis of the bill said.

But Escutia, chairwoman of the Health and Human Services Committee, said a statewide prohibition against self-service tobacco displays would guard against the shoplifting of cigarettes by young people and remove a temptation for children to smoke.

However, Sen. Ray Haynes (R-Riverside) argued that the bill, SB 1510, typifies what he called a compulsion for government to regulate for the sake of regulation.

Escutia countered that protecting the health of youngsters is an important governmental purpose. “Even if you save one life, it’s well worth it,” she told Haynes.

The bill, opposed by cigarette distributors, faces an uncertain future in the Assembly.