Governor Newsom Signs AB 573 to Crack Down on Illegal Flavored Tobacco Sales and Protect California Kids
Statement of Alexandria Felton, Southwest Regional Advocacy Director, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 573, authored by Assemblymember Chris Rogers, to provide critical funding to strengthen enforcement of California’s law prohibiting sales of flavored tobacco products. This new law is a major step forward in enforcing the state’s landmark flavored tobacco law and ensuring it works as intended to protect kids from nicotine addiction and other serious health risks.
California’s flavored tobacco law, implemented in December 2022, was a historic victory for public health – but illegal flavored tobacco products, particularly e-cigarettes, remain widely available. As of May 2025, illegal flavored e-cigarettes account for 31.3% of total e-cigarette sales in California. Studies show that flavored disposable e-cigarettes and pod products are still present in more than half of California vape shops.
Under AB 573, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) will receive sustainable funding to continue and expand its flavored tobacco product seizure and enforcement operations. The new law will:
- Increase the annual state tobacco retailer license fee to $450 to sustain CDTFA’s compliance program.
- Provide resources for more frequent inspections of tobacco retailers, enabling CDTFA to identify and penalize repeat violators.
- Commission a comprehensive study to assess California’s tobacco enforcement landscape and recommend strategies to improve coordination among state agencies.
Currently, CDTFA can only inspect about 11% of tobacco retailers each year. Without this additional funding, those inspections would have dropped even lower – leaving more flavored products available to kids. AB 573 builds on laws enacted last year that gave CDTFA authority to seize and destroy illegal flavored tobacco products. Together, these laws help close the enforcement gap, protect young people, and build on California’s commitment to reducing tobacco use and nicotine addiction.
We applaud Assemblymember Rogers for his leadership and Governor Newsom for signing the bill into law. Their leadership ensures that California’s laws protect kids from tobacco addiction, advance health equity and save lives.