District of Columbia Statewide Rule
DC bans sale of all flavored tobacco products
Key Facts
- Statute
- D.C. Code § 7-1721.08
- Menthol
- Banned
- Only exemption
- On-site hookah bars
- Third violation
- License revoked
- Enacting law
- D.C. Law 24-25
Summary
Washington, DC prohibits selling, distributing, or offering any flavored tobacco product or flavored electronic smoking device, including menthol, mint, and every fruit or candy flavor. The ban covers the entire District with one narrow hookah-bar carve-out.
No person shall sell, offer for sale, receive for sale, distribute, purchase, or facilitate the sale of: (1) A flavored tobacco product; or...
Full Breakdown
Under D.C. Official Code § 7-1721.08, no person may sell, offer for sale, receive for sale, distribute, purchase, or facilitate the sale of a flavored tobacco product or a flavored electronic smoking device anywhere in the District. A characterizing flavor is any distinguishable taste or aroma other than tobacco, expressly including menthol, mint, wintergreen, fruit, chocolate, and candy. The only exception: hookah bars operating in DC as of September 30, 2021 may sell flavored tobacco for on-site consumption, and those products may not be taken off premises. The Flavored Tobacco Product Prohibition Amendment Act of 2021 (D.C. Law 24-25) created the ban.
Violations & Penalties
A retailer's tobacco license may be suspended after a hearing for a first or second violation and shall be revoked after a hearing for a third or subsequent violation. Civil penalties run from $100 up to $1,000 per violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are menthol cigarettes legal in DC?
Can any store sell flavored tobacco in DC?
What happens to a store that keeps selling flavored products?
Sources
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