Report Card Grades Region On Tobacco Control

Sacramento gets a "C" grade when it comes to tobacco control polices. That's according to the American Lung Association's annual report card released today.

Lindsey Freitas with the American Lung Association of California says the Sacramento area has a strong tobacco retailer licensing ordinance.

"To ensure that youth don't have access to tobacco products," says Freitas. "But they don't have anything addressing smoke-free housing and unfortunately that brought their grade down."

Davis and Rancho Cordova received "Bs," the top grades in the region.

"Those communities, both have really strong outdoor smoking protections and really strong licensing protections," says Freitas.

Davis and Woodland are among the communities getting high marks for passing ordinances regulating the sale and use of electronic cigarettes.

"We have 120 cities that have included electronic cigarettes in their second hand smoke laws," says Freitas. "And 92 that require some kind of license for a retailer that is selling any kind of e-cigarette and that just really ensures that youth don't have access to them. And in total this winds up covering 18 million Californians."

California as a whole received a "B" for its smoke-free air policies. But the state got an "F" for what the Lung Association calls low tobacco taxes.