Lorain requires license for tobacco sellers

LORAIN — Corner stores, gas stations and other retailers in Lorain are now required to hold a tobacco retailer license to sell cigarettes and other tobacco products. The license, which must be renewed annually, limits how close together tobacco retailers can be, as well as how close to schools, day cares, playgrounds, libraries, recreation centers or parks the retailer can operate. Stores currently selling tobacco products are preapproved as long as they continue to operate and obtain a license in a timely manner. Lorain is the first city in the county to establish a licensure requirement for tobacco retailers. It joins Kent, Hamilton and Cincinnati in passing similar legislation in an effort to curb smoking in individuals under 21 years old. Councilman Josh Thornsberry, D-8th Ward, said the licensure requirement is a "great first step," and suggested Council revisit the issue in a year to look at a ban on flavored e-cigarettes to curb marketing toward children. Licensing requirements, inspections and any violations will be handled by Lorain County Public Health, according to the ordinance. Licenses will cost $450 per year, and funds collected will be used to pay for enforcement, administering the licensing program and tobacco cessation education. Licenses are transferrable if a business is sold. Licenses must be submitted to Lorain County Public Health. While existing retailers may remain in place, new retailers would not be allowed to operate within 2,000 feet of an already licensed establishment, or within 1,500 feet of a "youth-oriented facility," such as a school, daycare, park or library. It will also limit the number of retailers operating within the city as a whole based on the city's population from the last census. Any retailer that sells to individuals under 21 years old is subject to fines or having its license revoked. Lorain County Public Health will make two unannounced compliance checks per year to each licensed business. In conjunction with the new retailer restrictions, City Council unanimously passed a resolution recognizing November as Lung Cancer Awareness Month. The resolution came at the behest of Garon Petty, a Lorain resident and frequent City Council attendee. Petty, a lung cancer survivor, was recognized by Councilman Rey Carrion, D-6th Ward, and others for suggesting the resolution. Mary Springowski, D-At Large, said the licensure was very meaningful — as a former smoker who quit because her son asked her to, and because her grandfather died from lung cancer on Nov. 17, 1970. She said the issue is timely, as vaping is on the rise in schools — a sentiment echoed by Thornsberry and JoAnne Moon, D-5th Ward, who both work in area schools. Mayor Jack Bradley remembered going to the corner store as a child to buy packs of cigarettes for his father, and decades later the day he carried him out of the house and to the hospital where he died from lung cancer. He said young people don't realize the damage smoking does and thanked City Council for helping to end the "scourge on our communities." Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.