Retail

Cigar bars become the first exemption to the city’s smoking ban that was passed over a decade ago.

The city council of the Houston suburb changed the zoning laws to remove tobacco shops as an acceptable use.

Gov. Phil Scott said that he struggled with whether to sign the law, but felt that it was inconsistent to ban the sales of flavored tobacco products and flavored e-liquids when products like marijuana edibles are legal.

The proposed ban, which has been debated for the past six years, took a step forward this week.

It could be a landmark win for those looking to create generational smoking bans.

The bill has cleared the Colorado Senate and seemingly will be supported by Gov. Jared Polis. It now moves onto the Colorado House of Representatives.

While Columbus’ existing flavored tobacco ban will no longer be enforceable as of April 24, the fight over the law may not be done.

The bill would prevent local governments from enacting laws related to tobacco and vaping products that are stricter than state laws, i.e. only the state would be able to ban the sales of flavored cigars.

The bill could result in neighboring counties having vastly different policies as to tobacco sales.

The city is reducing the number of places to buy tobacco products to curb access to them.

Maine has become a hotbed of flavored tobacco sales bans, with six towns and cities passing regulations in recent years.