A proposed nicotine-buying ban for Pima County residents under the age of 21 was rejected by supervisors Tuesday morning.
The proposed ordinance change would have restricted sales of tobacco and e-cigarettes within Pima County to people age 21 and older and implemented a permit system in order to regulate retailers. The Tucson City Council was to take up the matter to match the new rules for sales within the city limits.
The council is expected to talk about the county's vote during this afternoon's study session.
Supervisors Ally Miller, Steve Christy and Sharon Bronson voted against the changes on Tuesday, as they indicated they would during an Aug. 6 meeting.
A vote on the ordinance change was delayed during last month's meeting, due to concerns about the process used to bring the ordinance to a vote and the penalties business owners would face.
The ordinance was re-written after two public meetings earlier this month, eliminating permit suspensions as penalty option for retailers who sell to underage buyers. Instead of suspensions after a second and third violation, a retailer would face monetary fines for the first three violations and revocation of the permit on the fourth violation.
Several people spoke in support of the ban during the public comment period, although spokespeople from the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association withdrew their support based on the changes to the penalties. They said age-based tobacco measures are only successful with adequate compliance methods.
Opponents of the ban, including three people representing retailers, said that they supported raising the smoking age, but believed it needed to happen at the state level.
