Council considers near-total ban on tobacco and nicotine sales

The Town Council took up a first reading of an ordinance that would repeal and replace Title 6, Chapter 7 of the municipal code, the section governing tobacco retailer licenses, and in its place prohibit the sale of tobacco and nicotine products within San Anselmo, with certain exceptions.

The item carried no staff recommendation in the agenda packet, leaving the council to weigh the policy on its own terms at first reading. It drew unusually heavy public input: more than twenty individual residents filed written comments, alongside national and regional organizations on both sides.

Supporting the ban were public-health groups including the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, the Smoke-Free Marin Coalition, and CFCA and APCA; opposing it was the National Association of Tobacco Outlets, representing industry retailers. Having cleared only a first reading, the ordinance would need a second reading and adoption before taking effect.