Should Tiverton & Little Compton take a Tougher Stand on Tobacco?
In 2012 the Providence City Council followed New York City's lead and enacted two ordinances aimed at curbing tobacco use by young people. The first banned stores within the city from selling fruit or candy flavored, non-cigarette, tobacco products, while the other barred selling of tobacco products at a discount.
While the New York City rules are currently being challenged in Federal Appeals Court, a lawsuit filed by the tobacco companies against the Providence ordinances in U.S. District Court was recently dismissed. The tobacco companies based their challenge on a violation of their First Amendment right to free speech.
The judge in the case found that although the ordinances did prohibit retailers from accepting coupons or offering discounts on tobacco or from selling flavored non-cigarette tobacco products, this did not amount to an infringement any First Amendment rights. The rationale was that none of the banned practices amounted to an infringement on protected speech, specifically advertising.
While an appeal from big tobacco is all but certain, the question remains…should Tiverton, Little Compton, or other Rhode Island municipalities, follow Providence’s lead and enact similar ordinances to curb the use of tobacco by local young people?
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Dan D
10:48 am on Sunday, February 3, 2013
yes, what we really need in this state is more unenforceable or difficult and expensive to enforce ordinances which can easily be avoided anyway. so, let's do this! Lets waste time on things that harm businesses and do nothing else while ignoring things like budgets and education.
Joe Sousa
7:27 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
How will sending people to Mass to purchase there goods help RI. ? Providence to Seekonk , 5 minutes. Besides the fact it's a legal product. These ordinances hurt the stores and close their doors. Nanny State !
John
8:51 am on Thursday, February 21, 2013
It's just another way to collect more money from people. It's all about money and very little about younger people buying tobacco. Law makers spend there sleepless nites in bed trying to figure out how to collect more money from the citizens of there state. Whats next? a toll both at the end of my driveway? Don't laugh. It's just a matter of time and then they will tell you that you can't smoke tobacco in your own home and you can only make love between 8pm to 9pm because your performance at work is slacking from lack of sleep and you need to make more money to pay more taxes. A free country? LMFAO. get a grip. No wonder why people are snapping. To much pressure in this world. You cant even take your dog for a ride for fear of he might jump on your lap. WTF! I'm glad I was'nt born in or after the 90's. God bless our kids and grand kids. There doomed