Corte Madera Could Become the Fifth Bay Area City to End All Tobacco and Vape Sales

Tonight the Town Council will hold a public hearing on an ordinance that would end the sale of all commercial tobacco and nicotine products by businesses in Corte Madera, rewriting Chapter 5.06 of the municipal code with a proposed effective date of January 1, 2027. Staff's recommendation is to conduct the hearing and introduce the ordinance as drafted.

.Public health advocates are urging the Council to go ahead. Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy of Action on Smoking and Health told the Council the Marin/Napa county grouping posted the highest youth tobacco use rate in California, 17.4%, in the 2024/2025 California Healthy Kids Survey, and argued the harm falls hardest on communities of color, low-income residents, unhoused people, LGBTQ+ people, and those with mental illness or substance use disorders. She noted four California cities — Ross, Tiburon, Beverly Hills and Manhattan Beach — have already adopted similar bans without facing legal retaliation. Dr. Pamela Ling, who directs UCSF's Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, wrote in her individual capacity that ending sales without exceptions is 'bold but simple to enforce' and would blunt the industry's rebranding of vapes and nicotine pouches as harm reduction.

The retail industry sees it differently. David Spross of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets argued the ordinance would criminalize sale of FDA-authorized products, push customers to buy across town lines — hurting Corte Madera retailers' bottom lines — and expand illicit tobacco markets, all while youth tobacco use is already declining. He also complained about process, saying the Town gave retailers only two days' notice before a June 16 workshop that led to pursuing the broader prohibition, and asked that if the ban passes, retailers get at least six months — through the end of Q1 2027 — to sell through existing inventory rather than the January 1 cutoff.

Council members will hear both sides tonight before deciding whether to introduce the ordinance. If adopted, Corte Madera would join a small but growing list of California towns that have banned sales outright rather than regulating flavors or age limits.