New York: Bethlehem adopts new tobacco regulations

June 25, 2020[1]The city of Bethlehem, New York, has adopted stricter regulations on tobacco and vaping product sales, requiring a municipal license to sell these products. The council also adopted a new local regulation that prohibits vaping stores from operating within 300 meters of a school.

There are currently 15 stores in town that sell tobacco, five of which are within 300 meters of a school. If any of these five stores—four convenience stores and one beer store—sell vaping products, they will have to stop selling them.

These measures were adopted with the aim of reducing sales of tobacco and vaping products to young people, particularly by reducing the proliferation of sales outlets in the city. The introduction of a license is also part of the fight against the sale or distribution of contraband tobacco products and, as a corollary, is linked to a political will to fully apply local and federal taxation applicable to tobacco products.

The fee for the license has not yet been set, but the law will require that it be renewed annually.

Additionally, the city voted for a six-month moratorium on the approval of any new vape or tobacco stores, during which time the City of Bethlehem will implement the licensing system and set the fee. The licensing system would also include a "cap" system that would require two tobacco licenses to be revoked before a new one is issued. The city has set a goal of limiting the number of licenses to seven.

This new regulation follows a series of public health measures in the eastern United States.[2]These measures include a significant increase in taxes on tobacco products in Maryland and a ban on the sale of all flavored e-cigarettes in New Jersey.