Tempe is moving forward in adopting a new tobacco ordinance that would raise the legal age to buy tobacco products and implement a licensing fee for all tobacco retailers in the city.
Tempe City Council’s June 8 work study session featured a discussion of the latest updates on the city’s proposed tobacco ordinance, which has been in development since the summer of 2022 after discussions showed a desire for protecting public health.
Initially, the city sought to restrict the sale of flavored tobacco products like electronic and menthol cigarettes given the growing epidemic of underage nicotine consumption.
Public feedback collected last summer and fall shut down the original ordinance in favor of one that would instead create stricter regulations rather than a full ban on flavored tobacco products.
The updated ordinance would increase the city’s minimum age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21 and implement a licensing fee and fine structure for tobacco vendors.
Licensing fees will be $300 annually, according to city documents. Penalties and infractions for violations are:
1st Strike: $500 fine and free mandatory training
2nd Strike: $750 fine and one-week license suspension
3rd Strike: $1,000 fine and one-month license suspension
4th Strike: $1,000 fine and license revoked
Tempe Police Department will be responsible for enforcing and ensuring compliance, issuing citations and conducting operations to confirm that tobacco retailers are following the ordinance.
At the June 8 meeting, Council Aids Sara Keown and Madalaine McConville discussed the latest public input on the ordinance and more details of how the ordinance would function.
Arizona is one of 10 states that does not have a statewide tobacco licensing registry, and as Keown explained, implementing local licensing requirements and a penalty system would aid in curbing illicit tobacco sales.
“Some reasons to have the ordinance in place is retailers that sell tobacco must comply with tobacco laws or they risk losing their license possibly,” Keown said at the meeting. “It helps decrease the access to tobacco, which helps keep this out of the hands of our youth.”
While there is no statewide regulation, Tempe hopes to follow other local municipalities, like Tucson, Flagstaff and Goodyear, that have already raised the purchasing age to 21.
Public input
Two public meetings and an online survey were conducted in March and April and sought feedback on the ordinance, asking the community whether they supported a tobacco sales license and the proposed regulation of tobacco businesses.
“There’s been a lot of public involvement specifically on this iteration of the proposed ordinance,” McConville said.
Attendance at both public meetings totaled roughly 120 participants, while the online survey garnered 188 responses from mostly Tempe residents.
Over 70% of the survey responses supported the licensing and fine structures as proposed, with 75% of those surveyed also supporting the increase in the age to purchase tobacco. McConville also noted that the city also had a large amount of public input sent directly to council.
During the council’s time for questions, Council Member Doreen Garlid asked to confirm that enforcing the ordinance would be done in partnership with the Attorney General’s Office and the Food and Drug Administration to conduct covert compliance checks.
Courtesy Tempe 11
Investigations Commander Kim Hale answered that the department would ride along with FDA and Attorney General’s Office staff on compliance checks, however, it would not change the enforcement action taken.
“We will then be doing a report that mirrors the information that they’re getting, so we can feed that back to tax and license and so does any kind of administrative actions that need to be taken,” Hale said.
Fourteen members of the public, from Tempe and other Valley municipalities, also chimed in at the meeting, with the majority of those speaking voicing their support for the new ordinance citing their concerns for public health and safety especially among younger demographics.
Notably, one speaker in support urged city council to invest in dedicated efforts to stop the use of other dangerous drugs like fentanyl among younger demographics, considering their interest in a tobacco ordinance.
With city council’s decision to support the ordinance as proposed, Tempe will communicate this information to its tobacco retailers. Public hearings will be scheduled in August and September before final approval and adoption.
For information, visit tempe.gov/TobaccoOrdinance.
Reporter Caroline Yu can be reached at cyu@iniusa.org
To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Caroline Caroline Yu joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2020 as a summer intern covering Scottsdale. As an intern, she continued her coverage of Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Tempe. After graduating in 2022, Caroline became a full-time reporter for Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. She is currently reporting for the Tempe market.
Community: She is a supporter of the environment and tries to get involved with related community events.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications, with a minor in French.
Random Fact: She used to be a ballet dancer for 10 years.
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here