If the County Board of Supervisors has its way, smoking could become more difficult in the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County. They’ve already banned smoking in multi-residence buildings, at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, in parks, motels, hotels, and tobacco shops, and within thirty feet of any outdoor service area, including ticket lines. Now they want to institute an annual permit fee on shops that sell tobacco ($425 per year, plus a $340 one-time application fee, prevent pharmacies from selling tobacco products, and ban the sale of tobacco 1,000 feet from schools and 500 feet from other shops selling tobacco. It would also ban the selling of flavored tobacco. On Monday, smokers gathered at the Mission Pipe Shop to sign a petition protesting the new laws.

Charles Janigian of the California Association of Retail Tobacconists said that the new regulations would hurt small businesses dramatically. Many local tobacconists agreed, saying that the regulations would put them out of business.

The proposed ordinance will go before the Board of Supervisors today for a second reading. If passed, the new law would go into effect sixty days from now.
Read More at CBS 5.