Tobacco Policy in Humboldt County

Commercial tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in California, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Data from 2005-2018 show that 34% of all deaths in Humboldt County were attributed to tobacco use. Commercial tobacco refers to products manufactured by corporations. This excludes the sacred and traditional use of tobacco by Indigenous people. For more information about traditional & ceremonial tobacco use, visit Keep It Sacred | National Native Network (itcmi.org)

Use of flavored tobacco products is on the rise and the CDC reports that “use of menthol and other flavored commercial tobacco products poses a serious risk to public health, and its elimination is critical to achieving health equity.” A study conducted in 2015 and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that most youth (aged 12-17 years) and young adults (aged 18-24 years) new tobacco users first tried a flavored product. See more data on health outcomes related to tobacco use.

California enacted SB793, effective January 1, 2023, in response to the targeted marketing of certain flavored tobacco products to youth, communities of color, low-income individuals and the LGBTQ community, and the aggressive marketing of menthol-flavored products to African Americans. SB793 imposes a ban on selling flavored tobacco and nicotine products in the State of California.

On July 11, 2023, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors joined more than 200 jurisdictions in California that have adopted Tobacco Retail Licensing (TRL) ordinances. The primary goals of Humboldt County’s TRL ordinance are to reduce the availability of tobacco for youth in the community and enforce local, state, and federal tobacco laws.