Changes in E-Cigarette and Cigarette Sales in California and Neighboring States Following a Law Prohibiting Flavored Tobacco Product Sales

Objectives. To assess changes in e-cigarette and cigarette sales, overall and by flavor type, following implementation of California’s law prohibiting flavored tobacco product sales. Methods. E-cigarette and cigarette retail sales data were licensed from Circana, categorized by flavor, and summed into quarters during 2019 to 2024. We used difference-in-differences regressions with 2-way fixed effects to compare quarterly sales per capita before and after implementation of the California law in California, California-adjacent states, and 32 control states. Results. Prohibiting flavored tobacco product sales in California was associated with a 36.98% reduction in total milligrams of e-cigarette nicotine sold and a 10.55% reduction in cigarette pack sales, compared with control states. Declines in flavored product sales were partially offset by increased sales of products marketed as nontobacco flavored that contain synthetic cooling agents or other additives that deliver multisensory flavor experiences. California’s law was not associated with statistically significant sales changes in neighboring states. Conclusions. California’s flavored tobacco law resulted in overall declines in e-cigarette and cigarette sales, without affecting neighboring states. Restrictions on the sale of all tobacco products that deliver multisensory flavor experiences may lead to further declines in sales. ( Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print July 31, 2025:e1–e5. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308182 )