Front Page  »  

SLO County cities get failing grades for tobacco control

January 27, 2022

By KAREN VELIE

Most San Luis Obispo County cities earned failing grades for their tobacco control measures, including allowing the sale of flavored tobacco products, according to a report by the American Lung Association.

In recent years, local lawmakers have taken steps to control tobacco use, like mandating non-smoking outdoor areas. But the reports says SLO County and its seven cities could be doing more to reduce tobacco use, especially among young people.

SLO County and every city in the county, except Morro Bay, received an “F” in the selling flavored tobacco category. Despite passing a flavors restriction, Morro Bay received a “D” because the policy exempted menthol-flavored products.

“This report underscores a local need to protect our youth from fun-sounding tobacco flavors — like ‘bubble gum’ and ‘blue razz’,” said Tobacco Control Coalition Chair Julia Alber. “Adding flavors masks the natural harshness, making it easier to smoke and easier to become addicted.”

A California Healthy Kids Survey shows 35% of SLO County’s 11th graders have
tried vaping.

SLO County’s overall grades:

Morro Bay — B

Unincorporated SLO County — C

San Luis Obispo — C

Atascadero — D

Arroyo Grande — D

Grover Beach — D

Paso Robles — D

Pismo Beach — D


Loading...
Related:


14 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

so, this is now about Marijuana? Interesting diversion. Again, show a fact that the right doesn’t like and they automatically downvote. here ya go. the “I stand with Israel” group should fully support this. https://www.uri.edu/news/2019/03/israeli-scientist-to-present-on-medicinal-potential-of-cannabis/


-3

I am not talking about medicinal use of Marijuana…that’s your diversion. Even ethanol has medical uses but it doesnt mean it should be available for recreational use. Good try though.


2

I’m willing to bet that it would be a hell of a lot easier to get a handle on tobacco usage if our national elected officials didn’t take big donations from tobacco companies….term limits and getting the money out of politics would be a key prescription for healing many societal ills we suffer from….


4

I remember a time when there were PSA’s every day about the dangers of Marijuana. Indeed, Marijuana causes multiple times more damage to the lungs when smoked, destroys ambition, impairs driving, reduces inhibition, rewires the brain in a bad way, etc. No wonder smoking tobacco in our county remains an issue given that the our local so-called leaders are now cool with Marijuana, a far more toxic substance that apparently is suddenly ok for that almighty tax dollar. Don’t look to the government to set your moral compass folks. The government endorses prostitution in Nevada, gambling all over the place, smoking tobacco, drinking liquor, and more recently Marijuana, not because they care about the well being of the people they supposedly serve but to finance their own ambitions and to have a public they can control by keeping them as entertained, drunk, broke, disoriented, and high as possible.


21

“Marijuana causes multiple times more damage to the lungs when smoked, destroys ambition, impairs driving, reduces inhibition, rewires the brain in a bad way”


I wonder where the scientific evidence is for these claims. I’d love to see it.


-11

Nice. I agree with you 110%. The deniers of those true facts would never let that come out. They would rather continue with the misinformation and destruction of lives.


9

Just go talk to a stoner and you’ll get your answer.


11

Here you go… ooops.. it says the complete opposite though. https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2012/01/98519/marijuana-shown-be-less-damaging-lungs-tobacco


-3

How about from these sites or are they not credible also?


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1277837/


https://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20051017/pot-smoke-less-carcinogenic-than-tobacco


Obviously burning and inhaling anything is going to be bad for the lungs, but when it comes to tobacco vs cannabis, it is clear one is much worse than the other.


1

You originally said, “Marijuana causes multiple times more damage to the lungs when smoked [than tobacco], destroys ambition, impairs driving, reduces inhibition, rewires the brain in a bad way”


I see nothing in your links that says marijuana is multiple times more damaging than tobacco—in fact, scientists have yet to find a link between smoking marijuana and lung cancer—look it up. Moreover, there is absolutely no evidence that it “destroys ambition”—I know plenty of high functioning individuals who have smoked marijuana for many years. I would agree that it may impair driving, but no where near as bad as alcohol does. Reduce inhibition? Not sure about that either. I’ve found that marijuana makes people more mellow than normal—it has absolutely the opposite effect as alcohol. Rewiring brain—doubtful, but if you can find a study that states this, I’ll read it.


-1

More mellow = brain damaged, more easy to control….the Democrat game plan


0

Read it……https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4827335/


0

Good try on the alcohol bit. I am not talking about alcohol. I am talking about Marijuana. And I am not a fan of recreational use of alcohol either. Both are horrible.


0