Coalition Submits Over 1 Million Signatures to Overturn Flavored Tobacco Ban

Last week, a coalition consisting of retailers and tobacco industry representatives, including tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris USA, submitted over one million signatures from California voters in an attempt to overturn SB 793 (Hill) that would ban the sale of flavored tobacco products statewide. Recall, the coalition initially filed referendum paperwork to overturn the measure just days after the bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom.

Proponents were required to collect at least 623,212 signatures of registered California voters. The California Secretary of State will now assess all signatures. If sufficient valid signatures were collected, SB 793 will not go into effect as currently planned on January 1, 2021. The measure will then likely be placed on the ballot for consideration by California voters in 2022.

Additional information on the status of the filed referendum is expected over the coming weeks.