A Recent Success in Marin County

Within a few weeks, a group of small towns in Marin County, California have moved to ban the retail sale of every tobacco and nicotine product, with no exemptions. The latest development came this week. A San Anselmo retailer is asking for a cigar exemption as that town drafts its own tobacco rules. For the premium cigar community, this trend deserves close attention and real concern.

On September 15, Corte Madera adopted what anti-tobacco advocates call the nation’s first complete end-of-sales ordinance without exemptions. It applies to all tobacco and nicotine products except FDA-approved cessation aids, and it becomes enforceable on February 1, 2027. Adults may still legally possess and use these products. They just can’t buy them in town. The vote was narrow. The council split 3-2, and Mayor Rosa Thomas, one of the dissenters, warned against creating “a pathway” for banning things she believes should exist. CRA joined local businesses in requesting an exemption covering handmade cigars, but the town council declined to exempt cigars of any kind.

On October 7, Mill Valley became the fourth Marin County community to end all commercial tobacco and nicotine sales, following Tiburon, Ross, and Corte Madera. Its ordinance also has no exemptions and also takes effect February 1, 2027. Then, just this week, San Anselmo moved towards a similar tobacco ban, but thanks to the advocacy of local tobacconist Ludwig’s, they were able to secure a carveout for premium cigars. This is exemplifies the importance of CRA’s work – by fighting for a premium cigar definition that is clearly defined, it enables local businesses to articulate to their community why these products should be managed differently and, critically, how the bright line set forth by the Mehta Definition allows for a clear delineation between premium cigars and mass-market products.

These ordinances are written as youth-protection measures, and CRA shares that goal. CRA supports strong age verification and youth access prevention. But premium cigars are not the cause of the problem these towns describe. The youth nicotine problem centers on cheap, flavored, concealable, mass-marketed products. Handmade premium cigars are expensive, sold in specialty settings, and used mostly by older adults. Banning their sale does nothing for young people. It just sends adult customers, and their tax dollars, across the town line to retailers that Corte Madera and Mill Valley have no oversight over.