California considers banning cigarette filters. Here’s what that could mean for smokers

California lawmakers are weighing a bill that would ban sales of cigarette filters and other single-use tobacco and cannabis products — such as single-use vape pods or cigarillo tips.

Supporters of the bill point to the damage that such products do to both human health and to the environment, with cigarette butts accounting for nearly a third of the trash picked up by volunteers during the annual Coastal Cleanup Day.

Here’s what that law could mean for California smokers.

How many smokers are there in California?

California is home to an estimated 2.8 million adult smokers, according to a 2019 report from the California Department of Public Health. That number has declined dramatically, more than 57%, since 1988.

What would the proposed law do exactly?

The bill would specifically ban the sale or furnishing of single-use filters made of any material, attachable single-use plastic tips that are commonly used on cigarillos, and single-use e-cigarettes or vape pods.

The bill would make the furnishing of such objects a civil offense, punishable by $500 fine.

What would that law mean for smokers?

Most modern cigarette brands are sold with filters. Such brands could not be sold in California under the proposed law. California smokers would have to purchase unfiltered cigarettes, while vape users would have to purchase multiple-use vape devices.

What about the flavored tobacco ban?

In 2020, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law banning the sale of flavored tobacco products — such as flavored cigars and menthol cigarettes — in the state. However, that law was paused before it could go into effect, and voters will decide whether to approve it in a referendum vote during the November election.

This story was originally published February 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.