Pre-Emption is like a bad penny, it just keeps coming back

We are more than halfway through the 2022 legislative session and unfortunately the issue of pre-emption has returned. For the last three years we have managed to defeat legislation that would prevent your local city council or county commission from passing laws/ordinances that would help reduce tobacco use and prevent youth access to tobacco and electronic tobacco and nicotine products, but it appears the issue is like a bad penny and just won’t go away. Last week legislation made its way through the Senate Health and Welfare Committee and is expected to be voted on by the entire Senate chamber this week. It is frustrating but we are not giving up and are working with our champions in the House to see if they can help us kill the legislation if or when it crosses over.

We oppose this type of legislation because we believe local governments are most responsive to their constituents and have the best ability to react quickly to situations in their community, such as the explosion of electronic tobacco products or “vape shops” over the last several years. We believe that local city councils should have the ability to set standards that would prevent vape shops from being located next to a school, or targeted marketing where youth congregate, such as parks, playgrounds, and other spaces where children gather. We were able to stop this legislation in the 2021 legislative session, but it is becoming more prevalent nationwide to pass these restrictive laws and we worry that this year we may not be able to stop it. Please be on the lookout for an alert from us when the time is right to message your state Representative on the issue.