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9.A. - Page 7 of 31 ORDINANCE NO.. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, COUNTY OF SAN MATEO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA ORDINANCE ADDING CHAPTER 4.99 TO TITLE 4 OF THE SAN MATEO COUNTY ORDINANCE CODE TO PROHIBIT SALE OR OFFER FOR SALE OF FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS AND PROHIBIT PHARMACIES FROM SELLING OR OFFERING FOR SALE ANY TOBACCO PRODUCTS, AND AMENDING SECTION 4.96.030 OF CHAPTER 4.96 TO CLARIFY DEFINITION OF "TOBACCO PRODUCTS" The Board of Supervisors of the County of San Mateo, State of California, ORDAINS as follows: 1+9x019If] ►5iM; I101111►[e%4 a) Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 480,000 people each year. It causes or contributes to many forms of cancer, as well as heart and respiratory diseases, among other health disorders. Tobacco use remains a public health crisis of the first order, in terms of the human suffering and loss of life it causes, the financial costs it imposes on society and the burdens it places on our health care system. The financial cost of tobacco use in San Mateo County alone amounts to over $575 million in direct health care expenses over the 5 -year period from 2006-2010. b) Flavored tobacco products are commonly sold by California tobacco retailers. For example, 97.4% of stores that sell cigarettes sell menthol cigarettes; 94.5% of stores that sell little cigars sell them in flavored varieties; 84.2% of stores that sell electronic smoking devices sell flavored varieties; and 83.8% of stores that sell chew or snus sell flavored varieties. 76% of tobacco retailers located within 1,000 feet of schools in San Mateo County sell flavored tobacco products other than menthol cigarettes, and nearly all of them sell menthol cigarettes. c) Each day, about 2,500 children in the United States try their first cigarette; and another 400 children under 18 years of age become new regular, daily smokers. 81 % of youth who have ever used a tobacco product report that the first tobacco product they used was flavored. Flavored tobacco products promote youth initiation of tobacco use and help young occasional smokers to become daily smokers by reducing or masking the natural harshness and taste of tobacco smoke and thereby increasing the appeal of tobacco products. As tobacco companies well know, menthol, in particular, cools and numbs the throat to reduce throat irritation and make the smoke feel smoother, making menthol cigarettes an appealing option for youth who are initiating tobacco use. Tobacco 1