HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/21/2020 Item 14, Brewer
Tonikian, Victoria
From:dtb19536@gmail.com
Sent: 10:27 AM
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Tobacco Vote - Important Insight
City Council~
I likely have more lifetime brick and mortar customer transaction than any small businessperson in SLO. I
average over 1,000 customers per day since 1997. I am one of the highest volume tobacco retailers in SLO. I
also have a 16yr old son who is a Junior at SLO high (Go Tiger Soccer!). This hits home for me, and I need to
chime in before mistakes are made.
To date, no ENDS (electronic nicotine delivery system) products have been authorized by the FDA and they've
restricted manufacturing. I sell a lot of this in SLO, but it seems like the responsible thing to do. Please, go after
the flavored ENDS products (e-cigs). They are the problem. I've asked my suppliers, and I cannot find a single
one that can vouch for premarket FDA approval because none have it.
Most of the flavored tobacco products have been on the market decades before FDA tobacco oversight. They
never even had the chance for premarket approval, it didn't exist back then. Flavored tobacco also is not the
problem. A U.S. District court has required that all tobacco products currently on the market submit FDA
premarket applications by May 12, 2020. To restrict sales of these items before the court mandated
premarket deadline doesn't seem right. Please don't do it, give them the chance to work through the process
as allowed by law.
To ban flavored tobacco for my store alone will result in a sales loss of approximately $200,000 annually, and
it won't do anything to help solve the problem that you're looking to solve. Multiply that by every tobacco
retailer in town and you're looking at a significant sales tax hit. I'll be fine, but I know this will be a massive
needless hit to bottom lines of good mom & pops.
We recently had a baby at Sierra Vista and I need to be home tonight, so I won't speak at the meeting. I will be
available all day for phone calls and emails.
Please, go after the flavored e-cigs and get that solid positive impact on our town. I urge you to leave flavored
tobacco alone, as restricting flavored tobacco will have a NET negative impact.
Thank you for the 90-days, that is fair.
Thank you for your time!
DERON BREWER
CELL: (805) 459-9143 (call or text anytime)
Owner- Edna Valley Market (SLO)
1
Owner- Dave's Automotive (SLO)
Owner- Ragtag Wine Co. (SLO)
Former owner- Foothill Chevron (SLO)
Former owner- San Luis Chevron (SLO)
2