SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — A ban on the sale of flavored tobacco in Sacramento County went into effect Monday.

The Sacramento Board of Supervisors voted to end the sale of the products on January 25 starting six months after the ordinance was officially adopted.

The board’s ban encompasses any tobacco product that tastes or smells like “including, but not limited to,… menthol, mint, wintergreen, fruit, chocolate, vanilla, honey, candy, cocoa, dessert, alcohol beverage, herb, or spice.”

“Mentholated and flavored products have been shown to be starter products for youths who begin using tobacco and establish tobacco habits that can lead to long-term addiction,” the board said in a press release. “The ordinance will reduce the potential for youths to begin or continue using tobacco products.”

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) praised the decision and also noted hazard flavored tobacco poses to youths.

“Menthol, other candy- and fruit-flavored tobacco products are a key part of the tobacco industry’s strategy to entice our youth into a potential lifetime of addiction. Research shows that flavors drive the unprecedented increase in youth tobacco uptake, with 81% of kids who have ever tried tobacco starting with a flavored product,” ACS CAN California Managing Director Jim Knox said.

Sacramento County Board of Supervisors members Patrick Kennedy, Don Nottoli and Phil Serna voted in favor of the ban. Supervisor Sue Frost voted against. Supervisor Rich Desmond abstained.

The Sacramento City Council had passed a similar ban on the sale of flavored tobacco within city limits in 2019.