Proposition 31 is raking up a massive lead and appears headed for victory as votes continue to be counted throughout the state.
Proposition 31 asked voters if a 2020 legislative ban on flavored tobacco products, including electronic and menthol cigarettes, should be upheld.
The Yes on Prop. 31 campaign, which sought to uphold the ban, was backed almost exclusively by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who donated $29 million to the campaign in the closing months. The Yes on Prop. 31 campaign said that flavored tobacco products such as menthol flavored cigarettes are causing a new generation of children to get hooked on tobacco, cutting young lives short.
Major tobacco companies like R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and Philip Morris USA allied against the measure. There was speculation that these companies never expected victory at the polls, however. Just getting Proposition 31 on the ballot triggered a nearly two-year pause on the statewide ban of flavored tobacco sales, allowing them to continue to sell their products in the state.
If Prop. 31 passes, the sale of flavored tobacco products like menthol cigarettes will be banned statewide.