California Flavored Tobacco Ban Creates New Opportunity for Drug Cartels and Black Market
Phoenix, AZ- The Border Security Alliance is sounding the alarm on the negative impacts of flavored tobacco bans which are being considered in states and municipalities across the nation. Recently, California implemented a statewide flavored tobacco ban which prohibits the sale of flavored tobacco products, including flavored e-cigarettes and menthol cigarettes, as well as tobacco product flavor enhancers in retail locations, including stores and vending machines.
“On face value, the idea of a flavored tobacco bans sounds like a noble tactic in the effort to reduce underage smoking but eliminating highly regulated products creates more crime within our community,” said Jobe Dickinson, President of the Border Security Alliance. “The reality is criminal networks and drug cartels will use these bans as an opportunity to smuggle products which are unregulated and potential deadly for consumers. Efforts to reduce underage smoking should be done in a way that doesn’t create additional financial opportunities for criminal syndicates that are already operating within the United States and selling products that are killing Americans.”
Sadly, teens across the nation have been hospitalized or died due to fentanyl laced vape pens purchased on the black market. Criminal networks, many who already have a strong infrastructure within the United States, are taking advantage of the black-market demand and cartel-related violence is spilling into states like California. Recently, a massacre in Goshen California, an area that has become a drug transit point for criminal organizations including Mexican cartels, prison syndicates and local street gangs, resulted in the death of six people.
“The officials responsible for implementing these policies need to have a serious conversation about local law enforcement resources and the additional strain bans such as flavored tobacco put on short-staffed departments. While we are tasking police with enforcing the prohibition of these flavored tobacco products, we are also creating a new category of black-market crimes they will need to manage simultaneously. When enacting public health policy, all aspects need to be looked at, including if the unintended consequences outweigh the benefits. It is obvious that this ban creates more problems than it solves in California.”
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About Border Security Alliance:
The Border Security Alliance promotes social welfare by advocating for public policies to secure the northern and southern borders, support border patrol and law enforcement, combat human trafficking, drug smuggling, illicit tobacco trade, and protect local communities.
