State Preemption and Local Tobacco Control: Constraints and Opportunities for Innovation in the US
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. State Tobacco Control Preemption Laws—CDC’s STATE System
2.2. Local Tobacco Control Policies—ANRF’s Database
2.3. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Smoke-Free Indoor Workplace Laws
3.1.1. States with Smoke-Free Indoor Workplace Preemption Throughout 1999–2021
3.1.2. States with Smoke-Free Indoor Workplace Preemption During a Proportion of 1999–2021
3.1.3. Regression Results
3.2. Other Smoke-Free Air Laws
3.2.1. States with Smoke-Free Preemption Throughout 1999–2021
3.2.2. States with Smoke-Free Preemption During a Proportion of 1999–2021
3.3. Youth Access Laws
3.3.1. States with Youth Access Preemption Laws Throughout 1999–2021
3.3.2. States with Youth Access Preemption Laws During a Proportion of 1999–2021
3.4. Licensure
3.4.1. States with Licensure Preemption Laws Throughout 1999–2021
3.4.2. States with Licensure Preemption Laws During a Proportion of 1999–2021
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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States with Preemption: | No Local Laws or Local Laws Throughout | Local Laws Passed During Preemption in States with Preemption Throughout 1999–2021 | Contrasting Distinct Preemption Periods | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Throughout 1999–2021 | During a Proportion of 1999–2021 | |||
Smoke-free indoor workplaces, 18 states | ||||
11 states: * California, Connecticut, Florida, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington | 7 states: ^ Iowa: 1999–2008; Illinois: 1999–2005; Louisiana: 1999–2006; Montana: 2005–2009; New Jersey: 1999–2006; Nevada: 1999–2006; Rhode Island: 2005–2006 | No local laws—6 states: # 4 of the 11 with preemption throughout (Florida, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Tennessee); 2 of the 7 with proportion of period (Nevada and Rhode Island) | Local smoke-free workplace laws—5 states:
| Local smoke-free workplace laws passed only prior to preemption or after repeal—2 states:
|
Preemption on other smoke-free air laws, 5 states | ||||
Food service establishments: Michigan § | Food service establishments: Delaware: 1999–2002; New Hampshire: 2003–2021 Prohibited smoke-free laws on tobacco specialty stores, cigar bars, etc.: Oregon £: 2002–2008 Government office buildings: Mississippi: 2000–2007 | New Hampshire | Local smoke-free workplace or restaurant/bar laws—1 state:
| Local smoke-free workplace laws—3 states:
|
Number of Counties in Each State that Enacted: | Local Smoke-Free Workplace Laws | Local Smoke-Free Restaurant/Bar Laws | ||||
Predictor | B (SE) | CI | p | B (SE) | CI | p |
State smoke-free workplace preemption | −0.372 (0.115) | −0.601, −0.144 | 0.002 | −0.356 (0.132) | −0.618, 0.095 | 0.008 |
Percent of Counties in Each State that Enacted: | Local Smoke-Free Workplace Laws | Local Smoke-Free Restaurant/Bar Laws | ||||
Predictor | B (SE) | CI | p | B (SE) | CI | p |
State smoke-free workplace preemption | −0.003 (0.002) | −0.007, 0.000 | 0.064 | −0.004 (0.002) | −0.008, 0.000 | 0.029 |
States with Preemption: | No Local Laws or Local Laws Throughout | Local Laws Passed During Preemption in States with Preemption Throughout 1999–2021 | Contrasting Distinct Preemption Periods | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Throughout 1999–2021 | A Proportion of 1999–2021 | |||
Youth access, 21 states | ||||
18 states: California, Delaware, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming | 3 states: Arizona: 2019–2021; New Mexico: 1999–2020; Pennsylvania: 2002–2021 | No local laws—7 states: all in states with preemption throughout (Delaware, Indiana, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee) Local laws throughout—11 states: § Arizona: 1; California: 3; Iowa: 1; Louisiana: 1; Mississippi: 7; Montana: 1; Oklahoma: 2; Pennsylvania: 1; Washington: 3; Wisconsin: 21; Wyoming: 2 | Local laws consistent with state laws, related to purchase, use, and/or possession, and/or addressing e-cigarettes—11 states:
| Local laws passed prior to preemption—1 state:
|
Licensure, 13 states | ||||
9 states: Iowa, Idaho, Michigan, Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin | 4 states: Arizona: 2019–2021; Hawaii: 2018–2021; New Mexico: 2021–ongoing; Pennsylvania: 2016–2021 | No local laws—1 state: Tennessee Local laws throughout—11 states: Arizona: 1; Hawaii: 2; Iowa: 2; Idaho: 1; Michigan: 10; Montana: 1; Oklahoma: 2; Pennsylvania: 8; Texas: 8; Washington: 3; Wisconsin: 20 | Local laws for licensing requirements, penalties, vending machines, e-cigarettes, etc.—8 states: | Local laws passed prior to preemption—3 states:
|
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Chakraborty, R.; Berman, M.L.; Yang, Y.T.; Li, Y.; Wang, Y.; Bernat, D.; Zhang, S.; Berg, C.J. State Preemption and Local Tobacco Control: Constraints and Opportunities for Innovation in the US. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22, 827. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22060827
Chakraborty R, Berman ML, Yang YT, Li Y, Wang Y, Bernat D, Zhang S, Berg CJ. State Preemption and Local Tobacco Control: Constraints and Opportunities for Innovation in the US. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2025; 22(6):827. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22060827
Chicago/Turabian StyleChakraborty, Rishika, Micah L. Berman, Y. Tony Yang, Yan Li, Yan Wang, Debra Bernat, Sabrina Zhang, and Carla J. Berg. 2025. "State Preemption and Local Tobacco Control: Constraints and Opportunities for Innovation in the US" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22, no. 6: 827. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22060827
APA StyleChakraborty, R., Berman, M. L., Yang, Y. T., Li, Y., Wang, Y., Bernat, D., Zhang, S., & Berg, C. J. (2025). State Preemption and Local Tobacco Control: Constraints and Opportunities for Innovation in the US. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(6), 827. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22060827