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December 17, 2021 <br /> Honorable Mayor and Members of the Santa Ana City Council, <br /> The California Licensed Beverage Association (CALBA) has proudly represented Taverns, Nightclubs, <br /> Restaurants, Hotels and on-site and off-site liquor establishments throughout California for over 80 <br /> years. We urge you to oppose a more restrictive tobacco ordinance currently being reviewed by your <br /> Council which would ban the sale of flavored tobacco products from licensed, regulated city tobacco <br /> retailers. <br /> Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products are adult-only products for purchase for those over 21 years <br /> old. In our industry,we often see customers who are switching from combustible cigarettes to less <br /> harmful options. Banning the sale of flavored tobacco products inadvertently creates a public health risk <br /> by taking these options away from adult consumers who are trying to scale-back or quit altogether. <br /> In addition to legal tobacco sales, Santa Ana allows for cannabis retail sales for responsible adult-use as <br /> well.Yet flavor bans are not being considered for the cannabis industry. Both industries are strictly <br /> regulated, with mindful, responsible retailers. We support education and regulation, however we all <br /> know that prohibition never works. <br /> Small businesses and the community as a whole are still struggling to recover from the burdens and <br /> anxieties of COVID and its many variants. We ask that you not penalize the responsible, legally operating <br /> tobacco retailers in Santa Ana by banning adult-only products. Instead, we ask that you keep this <br /> community of your constituents in mind and find a solution that increases the enforcement of existing <br /> tobacco retail regulations rather than taking flavored tobacco products off the market completely. <br /> We at CALBA thank you for your time and consideration, <br /> 26er-ewe Swamy <br /> Beverly Swanson <br /> President <br /> �Y <br /> CALBA <br /> CALIrORNIA LICENSED <br /> BEVERAGE ASSOCIATION <br />