With increased tobacco use in recent years, including 1 in 6 youth in Arizona using e-cigarettes, it’s clear Arizona needs stronger tobacco regulation. We must regulate retailers and hold them accountable. We can’t let an industry with a track record of lying create its own rules. We respectfully urge lawmakers to demand better and reject HB2682.

A vaping bill backed by the tobacco industry is moving forward in the Arizona Legislature after years of stalemates, and the Republican who led the fight against it blames political retaliation.

The City Council should be solely focused on policy that helps small businesses stay viable and recover after the coronavirus pandemic. I hope our local lawmakers, that we all elected, take time to consider all the consequences of banning flavored tobacco products, including menthol, before implementing it into law.

Even after settling on a multi-billion spending plan for the next year, there was plenty left unsettled when lawmakers went home for the summer.

Arizonans who are 18, 19 and 20 will continue to be able to smoke and vape, at least for the time being.

Hoping to curb teen use, state lawmakers are moving to put new restrictions on where and how vaping devices can be sold.