WHEREAS, The Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) created World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes. World No Tobacco Day is celebrated around the world every year on May 31st; and

WHEREAS, This yearly celebration informs the public on the dangers of all forms of tobacco use, the manipulative tactics the tobacco industry uses to attract and addict new users, including engagement to hook the next generation, and what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations; and

WHEREAS, The theme for World No Tobacco Day 2026 is Unmasking the appeal countering nicotine and tobacco addiction to expose how the tobacco and nicotine industry continues to reinvent and repackage its products to hook a new generation, particularly children and adolescents; and

WHEREAS, Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the world; and

WHEREAS, Tobacco use kills more than 490,000 Americans each year, causing nearly one in every five deaths in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The tobacco industry has a long history of targeting youth with flavored tobacco products through aggressive marketing and kid-friendly flavors; and

WHEREAS, Tobacco industry marketing campaigns that purport harm-reduction strategies are designed to maintain addiction in current customers, attract new customers, and expand addiction amongst youth; and

WHEREAS, The tobacco industrys misleading tactic of marketing next generation products such as e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco products, as safe or alternatives to quitting follows a similar tactic used in the past of falsely marketing light and low-tar cigarettes as safer alternatives, despite lack of evidence supporting those claims; and

WHEREAS, Nicotine is a highly addictive drug and can harm adolescent brain development, particularly the parts of the brain responsible for attention, memory, and learning; and

WHEREAS, Nicotine products like pouches and e-cigarettes can contain massive doses of nicotine, and some e-cigarettes can contain more nicotine than 20 packs of cigarettes; and

WHEREAS, Rural populations in California experience higher rates of tobacco use and related health disparities compared with urban areas, with Californians living in rural areas being 33 percent more likely to use tobacco products than those living in urban areas; and

WHEREAS, Of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, Black Americans have some of the highest rates of tobacco-related cancer, with more than 72,000 Black Americans diagnosed with a tobacco-related cancer each year; and

WHEREAS, LGBTQ+ individuals experience higher rates of tobacco use28 percent of gay or lesbian adults report any tobacco product use compared to 18.4 percent of heterosexual adults; and

WHEREAS, Research shows that nicotine is one of the hardest substance-use dependencies to break; and

WHEREAS, Evidence-based tobacco cessation services significantly increase the likelihood of successfully quitting and can reduce health care costs and improve health outcomes; and

WHEREAS, The federal Center for Disease Control and Preventions Office on Smoking and Health, which has led the nations efforts to protect kids from tobacco addiction, helped tobacco users quit, and reduced tobaccos devastating toll, has been eliminated; and

WHEREAS, In March 2026, the United States Food and Drug Administration proposed guidelines lowering the scientific standard required of industry for certain flavored e-cigarettes, making it easier for flavored products to gain FDA authorization; and

WHEREAS, In 2020, with strong bipartisan support, California enacted Senate Bill 793 of the 201920 Regular Sessiona nation-leading, landmark law to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products; and

WHEREAS, California voters overwhelmingly upheld Senate Bill 793 when subjected to a tobacco industry-funded referendum, with nearly two-thirds of Californians supporting Proposition 31 at the November 8, 2022 statewide general election; and

WHEREAS, World No Tobacco Day is a day that unites governments, health organizations, civil society, and youth voices under a shared mission: to end the tobacco epidemic and secure a tobacco- and nicotine-free future for the next generation; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature declares that May 31, 2026, is World No Tobacco Day and encourages the private sector and state and federal governments to promote policies and programs that seek to reduce tobacco and nicotine use among all Californians; and be it further

Resolved, That California is committed to protecting our children from a life of addiction and illness by protecting the integrity of our nation-leading flavored tobacco ban; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

SCR 177: World No Tobacco Day.

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