The Tobacco Free Santa Rosa Coalition is hoping to put regulations on tobacco retailers to reduce youth exposure to tobacco and nicotine products.
On Thursday, March 19, the coalition will meet with the city of Milton’s Committee of the Whole to discuss implementing a Tobacco Retail License in the city.
A Tobacco Retail License is a policy tool to help municipalities have more control over how tobacco products are sold, said Kristie Beckstrom, of Tobacco Free Santa Rosa County.
“It puts rules into writing,” she added. “And the rules depend on the policy makers.”
Some regulations could include the location of a tobacco retailer in proximity to a school — although established retailers could be grandfathered in — or where products are placed inside a store.
“We don’t want products right out front,” said Beckstrom.
The coalition is starting with the city of Milton as a “foot in the door,” Beckstrom said. The ultimate goal is setting regulations for all of Santa Rosa County.
“We want to explain what a Tobacco Retail License is, see if we can get some support, and if there’s interest we can work on how it will be done,” she said.
Beckstrom said the coalition is looking to passing similar regulations that were approved in Alachua County in 2019, which raised the minimum buying age to 21; required vendors to apply for a one-year license; and prohibited sales within 1,000 feet of a public school.
The county was the first in Florida to raise the minimum tobacco buying age before President Donald Trump signed legislation in December last year raising the minimum age from 18 to 21, which made it illegal to sell any tobacco product including cigarettes, cigars and e-cigarettes to anyone under 21.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19.5% of youths in Florida reported using a tobacco product and 5.7% reported they currently smoke cigarettes.
The Tobacco Free Santa Rosa Coalition is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19, at City Hall, 6738 Dixon St.
