Watch CBS News

City Council Votes In Favor To Ban Smokeless Tobacco At All Sports Venues In LA

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles City Council voted on Tuesday to eliminate the use of smokeless tobacco at all sports venues.

At 10 a.m., council members approve the motion, backed by City Council member José Huizar, to outlaw the use of these products at both amateur and professional arenas.

To show support of the motion, the L.A. Dodgers issued a written statement that reads in part: "Major League Baseball has long supported a ban of smokeless tobacco at the Major League level. The L.A. Dodgers fully support the L.A. City Tobacco ordinance and campaign for tobacco-free kids."

Under the ordinance, city officials aim to reduce the number of young people who take up the highly addictive habit by way of banning the product.

A new study has provided evidence that shows high school athletes use this form of tobacco at nearly twice the rate of non-athletes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In fact, smokeless tobacco use among athletes has increased from 10 percent in 2001 to 11.1 percent in 2013.

Health officials explained use of this product can lead to nicotine addiction, which contains at least 28 known carcinogens. This can cause oral, pancreatic and esophageal cancer.

Other serious side effects include gum disease, mouth lesions and tooth decay.

Officials explained L.A. will now join San Francisco and Boston in ending smokeless tobacco use at all sports venues.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.