California Business and Professions Code

§ 22974.2

BPC § 22974.2 Effective Jan 1, 2025Div. 8.6 · Ch. 2

Statute text

(a)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this division, upon discovery by the department or a law enforcement agency that a retailer possesses, stores, owns, or has made a retail sale of flavored tobacco products or tobacco product flavor enhancers in violation of Section 104559.5 of the Health and Safety Code, the department or the law enforcement agency may seize the flavored tobacco products or tobacco product flavor enhancers at the retail location or any other person’s location.

(2)Any flavored tobacco products or tobacco product flavor enhancers seized by a law enforcement agency shall be delivered to the department, or its designee, within 30 days, unless the seized flavored tobacco products or tobacco product flavor enhancers shall be destroyed by that law enforcement agency, or unless the seized flavored tobacco products or tobacco product flavor enhancers are otherwise required to be used as evidence in an administrative, criminal, or civil proceeding, or as part of an ongoing law enforcement operation. Any flavored tobacco products or tobacco product flavor enhancers seized by the department or delivered to the department by a law enforcement agency shall be deemed forfeited to the state and the department shall comply with procedures set forth in Chapter 7.5 (commencing with Section 30435) of Part 13 of Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code.

(b)(1) In addition to seizure and forfeiture of the flavored tobacco products or tobacco product flavor enhancers under subdivision (a), the department shall issue a civil penalty against the retailer equal to fifty dollars ($50) per individual package of flavored tobacco product or tobacco product flavor enhancer seized or delivered to the department by a law enforcement agency regardless of the authority used by the law enforcement agency to seize the flavored tobacco product or tobacco product flavor enhancer. The department shall issue the civil penalty in accordance with the procedures applicable to the civil penalty authorized under Section 22974.7.

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Legislative history

Added by Stats. 2024, Ch. 849, Sec. 2. (AB 3218) Effective January 1, 2025.