MODESTO, Calif. — Flavored tobacco products were outlawed in California in 2022, but Modesto police say as of Tuesday, every licensed smoke shop in the city had them. Those hundreds of illegal vapes, wraps and products are now in the department's evidence room.
"We went out and conducted inspections at many more smoke shops to understand the gravity of the problem," said Modesto Police Capt. Chris Adams. "Forty three different locations we hit. (We) made 22 different arrests ranging from sales of flavored tobacco to illegal gambling machines, possession of marijuana for sale, possession of psilocybin mushrooms for sale."
While some shops expressed confusion over the new laws, police allege the majority knew the products were illegal and some reportedly told officers they had to sell the products to keep up with other shops that were doing the same.
Adams says many of the illegal tobacco and THC-infused hemp products, which Gov. Gavin Newsom banned in September, were marketed toward kids and had wrappers imitating those of real candies.
According to a 2022 study, one in every 10 Stanislaus County high school students vapes.
"The Stanislaus County Office of Education provides buckets to schools so we can have a controlled manner for taking care of controlled substances. We are not even a semester into high school and we have already filled one of these buckets," said Tom Nipper, Director of Health Services at Modesto City Schools. "So, we do have a serious problem."
While the weeklong compliance checks led to arrests and education, police officials say the problem with smoke shops is not just a law enforcement issue. They say they need more legal teeth to crack down harder.
"The city council of Modesto approved on Oct, 8, a moratorium of no more smoke shops allowed in Modesto until we can come up with a municipal code to have a higher regulatory component to that," said Adams.
City Hall says it's talking with law enforcement leaders, prosecutors and school officials to write the new code.
"We know this is just the beginning. We understand that these inspections kind of give us a true understanding of what the problem is, but now there's work to be done," said Adams. "We need to go back in and continue to hold the shops accountable."
For now, education officials hope parents will talk with their kids and take advantage of the available resources.
The “TOPS” Coalition of Stanislaus is a grant-funded group dedicated to reducing the harmful effects of tobacco and offers such resources.
"Talk to your child openly about the use of tobacco or the use of illicit drugs," said Nipper. "Because that conversation shows strength in your community, strength in your family, and strength in the communication you have with your child."
Watch more from ABC10: Vaping: Hooking a New Generation, Part One
