Open AccessE-cigarette Tobacco Retail Licensing Laws: Variance Across US States as of January 1, 2020
Author(s) -
Minal Patel,
Emily M. Donovan,
Siobhan N. Perks,
Darlene Huang,
Lauren Czaplicki,
Maham Akbar,
Stacey Younger Gagosian,
Barbara Schillo
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2020.305771
Subject(s) - license , enforcement , revocation , law , administration (probate law) , business , state (computer science) , political science , engineering , computer science , electrical engineering , algorithm , overhead (engineering)
Objectives. To describe how US states and the District of Columbia regulate e-cigarette sales by examining e-cigarette-specific tobacco retail licensing (TRL) laws. Methods. We coded 25 state-level e-cigarette TRL laws (effective as of January 1, 2020) for provisions we labeled as either "core" (e.g., presence of license terms, fees, and penalties) or "descriptive" (e.g., license fee amount and term length). Results. Overall, 23 laws clearly defined a license term, 23 laws required a license fee, and 19 laws identified penalties for violations that included both license suspension and revocation. Fees widely ranged ($5-$1000 annually), and 8 laws did not explicitly direct fees toward TRL administration or enforcement. No law required that retailers comply with all local, state, and federal tobacco or e-cigarette laws. Conclusions. Most laws contained core TRL provisions. Several laws, however, had minimal license fees and did not direct fees toward administration or enforcement. As youth e-cigarette use increases, more states should consider establishing e-cigarette TRL laws or incorporating provisions into existing TRL laws.