Cal. BPC § 22962 — California Code / Code bpc / Division 8.5 / Section 22962
Section 22962
Status: in_force

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

(1) “Self-service display” means the open display of tobacco products or tobacco paraphernalia in a manner that is accessible to the general public without the assistance of the retailer or employee of the retailer.

(2) “Tobacco paraphernalia” means cigarette papers or wrappers, blunt wraps as defined in Section 308 of the Penal Code, pipes, holders of smoking materials of all types, cigarette rolling machines, or other instruments or things designed for the smoking or ingestion of tobacco products.

(3) “Tobacco product” means a product or device as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 22950.5 of the Business and Professions Code.

(4) “Tobacco store” means a retail business that meets all of the following requirements:

(A) Primarily sells tobacco products.

(B) Generates more than 60 percent of its gross revenues annually from the sale of tobacco products and tobacco paraphernalia.

(C) Does not permit any person under 18 years of age to be present or enter the premises at any time, unless accompanied by the person’s parent or legal guardian, as defined in Section 6903 of the Family Code.

(D) Does not sell alcoholic beverages or food for consumption on the premises.

(b) (1) (A) Except as permitted in subdivision (b) of Section 22960, it is unlawful for a person engaged in the retail sale of tobacco products to sell, offer for sale, or display for sale any tobacco product or tobacco paraphernalia by self-service display. A person who violates this section is subject to those civil penalties specified in the schedule in subdivision (a) of Section 22958.

(B) A person who violates this section is subject to those civil penalties specified in the schedule in subdivision (a) of Section 22958.

(2) It is unlawful for a person engaged in the retail sale of blunt wraps to place or maintain, or to cause to be placed or maintained, any blunt wraps advertising display within two feet of candy, snack, or nonalcoholic beverage displayed inside any store or business.

(3) It is unlawful for any person or business to place or maintain, or cause to be placed or maintained, any blunt wrap advertising display that is less than four feet above the floor.

(c) Subdivision (b) shall not apply to the display in a tobacco store of cigars, pipe tobacco, snuff, chewing tobacco, or dipping tobacco, provided that in the case of cigars they are generally not sold or offered for sale in a sealed package of the manufacturer or importer containing less than six cigars. In any enforcement action brought pursuant to this division, the retail business that displays any of the items described in this subdivision in a self-service display shall have the burden of proving that it qualifies for the exemption established in this subdivision.

(d) The Attorney General, a city attorney, a county counsel, or a district attorney may bring a civil action to enforce this section.

(e) This section does not preempt or otherwise prohibit the adoption of a local standard that imposes greater restrictions on the access to tobacco products than the restrictions imposed by this section. To the extent that there is an inconsistency between this section and a local standard that imposes greater restrictions on the access to tobacco products, the greater restriction on the access to tobacco products in the local standard shall prevail.