Since 1993 tobacco retailers in the state of North Dakota has been battling a tobacco tax increase with success. It also appears that this year the increase proposed by Republican Jon Nelson of Rugby will not pass as well. The North Dakota House Finance and Taxation Committee has voted 12-2 to give the bill a do not pass recommendation. Later this week the full house will decide if they wish to follow that recommendation. North […]
The state of Iowa has proposed a new bill that would raise the tobacco age from 18 to 19. Senate Study Bill 1109 was advanced on Thursday by a 2-1 vote by a subcommittee in the Iowa Senate. The bill now moves to the Senate Education Committee. According to Senator Herman Quirmbach, the reason for the proposal is the prevent high school seniors who are 18 and buying tobacco for underage classmates. Currently Alabama, Alaska, […]
You can add Rhode Island to the growing list of states looking to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco to 21. State Representative Tereza Tanzi, a democrat from South Kingstown, Narragansett has introduced bill H-5225 which seeks to raise the purchase age from 18 to 21. A press release from the State House mentions that the American Lung Association believes that the average age a person begins smoking is 20.1 years. The proposal is […]
As we reported in January, Fort Collins is looking to ban smoking in much of the city. The city council on Tuesday evening voted to give the initial approval to expand the restrictions. The new restrictions will include outdoor public spaces which includes all city facilities and the busiest part of Old Town. In short, the ban covers everything from parks to alleys owned by the city. The amendment is set for second reading and if […]
Smoking tobacco outdoors is a thing of the past in the city of Boulder, Colorado after the City Council voted unanimously to adopt an outdoor smoking ban. The latest smoking ban expands on an existing ban that prohibited smoking at the Pearl Street Mall in 2012 and included the Cigar Area and near Boulder High School last year. The new measure prohibits smoking in the downtown business district, city parks, open spaces, within 25 feet […]
Without much fanfare the Cambridge City Council last week passed new amendments to the Cambridge Tobacco Ordinance including an increase in the purchase age to 21. The also banned smoking in public parks. The new ordinance which goes into effect on June 1st is a modified version of the one that passed in 2003 and is a toned down version on which the Public Health Department sought a citywide ban on open spaces and parks. […]
Representative Kraig Powell of Heber City, Utah has reintroduced a bill that would raise the tobacco purchase age to 21. The bill which was submitted last year by the Republican failed in the state senate at that time. It isn’t the only tobacco bill that has been proposed by the representative as he has another bill that would prohibit individuals under the age of 19 from entering a tobacco shop unless accompanied by a parent […]
On February 26th, 2015 the Pelham City Council will hold a Town Hall meeting which will include the discussion of a possible smoking ban. The meeting will be held at 7pm and take place at the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena. The possibility of a smoking ban has loomed since October when a small group of city residents and business owners voiced concerns about tobacco use. Previous attempts to ban smoking in Pelham have […]
Despite opposition from the Virginia Retail Merchants Association and the Virginia Retail Federation, Senate Bill 1230 has advanced. The bill which will require tobacco retailers to obtain a license from the Virginia Department of Alcohol Beverage Control has passed the first step with approval from the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services. The bill is now headed before the Senate Finance Committee and if passed it will require a background check on applicants, managers […]
In Providence at the State Capitol of Rhode Island, Senator Erin Lunch has introduced a bill that would ban smoking on all public beaches within the stare. According to Lynch, discarded cigarette butts, cigar butts and tobacco waste on beach sand is unsightly and unclean and can be particularly hazardous to children if they handle or ingest this material. She says the waste can also wash into the ocean and harm marine life. The legislation was […]