In 2022, a new law in California banned the sale of flavored tobacco products. Today, online sales of these products are booming. The law was intended to reverse a trend of children buying e-cigarettes and other products with “kid-friendly” flavors.
Researchers at UC San Diego found that online shopping for e-cigarettes and vaping products increased significantly in the weeks after the new law went into effect.
Online shopping queries for cigarettes were up 194% and 162% for vaping products.
The researchers recommend that California’s law be amended to include e-commerce websites as retailers.