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Corte Madera council to reintroduce county tobacco ordinance, add nicotine‑pouch ban and study full sales ban
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Summary
The Corte Madera Town Council voted March 3 to reintroduce a county model ordinance that would set minimum prices and pack sizes for tobacco products, ban discounts and vapes, include a nicotine‑pouch ban modeled on Fairfax, and asked staff to study the ramifications of an outright local ban on commercial tobacco and nicotine sales.
The Corte Madera Town Council on March 3 directed staff to reintroduce a Marin County model ordinance that would set minimum displayed prices and package sizes for tobacco products, ban coupons and discounts and prohibit sales of electronic smoking devices and heated tobacco systems — and to bring back a version that explicitly bans nicotine pouches.
Rebecca Bond, the town staff member presenting the draft, said it mirrors the county ordinance adopted last fall and recommends an enforcement start date of Sept. 1, 2026 to allow an education period for retailers. Anita Renzetti of Marin County Health and Human Services told the council the ordinance is intended to reduce youth initiation and industry tactics such as deep discounts and flavor marketing: “When tobacco and nicotine products are cheap, young people can easily experiment and become addicted,” she said.
The proposal would: set minimum pack prices and sizes for cigarettes, cigars and smokeless tobacco; ban coupons, discounts and promotional pricing; require sales in manufacturer packaging; and prohibit the sale of many electronic vaping devices and heated products. County staff said enforcement and retailer education would be handled by the county under an existing memorandum of understanding with local law enforcement.
Health advocates and dozens of students urged the council to be aggressive. Rhett Crowett, a Redwood High School senior with the school’s Youth Advocacy Committee, told the council that oral nicotine pouches are increasingly pervasive on campus and urged the town to pursue strict limits. “These teens are destroying their bodies and minds all because they are addicted to nicotine,” Crowett said. Multiple youth speakers described seeing vapes and pouches in school bathrooms and on campus.
Retailers and a local liquor store representative warned about impacts to small businesses and cross‑jurisdiction shopping if neighboring towns do not take the same step. Ajit Champaretti of Colonial Liquors said the store already removed single cigars and flavors and urged the council to balance public health aims with potential unintended consequences for local merchants.
After public comment the council voted to reintroduce the county ordinance at the next meeting with the Fairfax‑style amendment to include nicotine pouches and to direct staff to study what a full ban on commercial tobacco and nicotine sales would involve — excepting products regulated by the FDA for cessation purposes. Both motions carried unanimously.
Next steps: staff will return with a revised ordinance that adds nicotine pouches per Fairfax’s approach and a separate report on the scope, legal and administrative implications, and possible enforcement/reporting mechanics for any future proposal to end all commercial sales of tobacco and nicotine products in Corte Madera.
