As a full-grown adult in California, I find myself, along with countless others, in the midst of legislation that restricts our personal choices. I am talking about the recent approval of Assembly Bill 3218 and Senate Bill 1230 in California which ban flavored vape products. These bills, although put forward with intentions to protect youngsters from tobacco product addiction, are in effect punishing law-abiding adults.

In the United States, it remains perfectly legal for adults to purchase and consume flavored vape products. It is important to note that this law does not align with the broader sentiment. Instead of curbing the illicit use by children – who, by law, are already prohibited from buying these products - it forces adults to turn to alternatives which are considerably more harmful.

Data from The American Cancer Society shows that cigarette smoking accounts for approximately 480,000 deaths per year in the U.S., including over 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure (source: The American Cancer Society). It is reasonable to suggest that restrictive policies on vape product flavors could steer users towards cigarettes, contributing to the exacerbation of these alarming statistics.

We must question the efficacy of such a bill that ostensibly 'protects' children while restricting the rights and freedom of responsible adults. We must call for a reversal of these misdirected bills and ask for the development of sensible legislation which achieves the intended protective goal without compromising adults' liberty to a legitimate enjoyment.

Please sign this petition to overturn the California Assembly Bill 3218 and Senate Bill 1230. Let's restore personal freedom and common sense to this issue.

By this logic, alcohol should also be banned to protect children. This is a completely unfair law, targeting law abiding adults. Are we entering prohibition again? This law doesn’t protect children, it protects big tobacco who will gain from people returning to buying cigarettes and tobacco products. It damages small businesses who sell disposable vapes and vape liquid to adults in their communities. Law abiding shops who don’t sell to minors in the first place shouldn’t be punished because California wants to virtue signal. If California cared about children, why are our schools so poorly funded?