Iowa City's tobacco permit moratorium will address safety concerns, influx of vape shops

Amid concern from the Iowa City City Council and a flurry of new tobacco and vape shops, the City of Iowa City will stop issuing new tobacco permits through the end of the year.

The moratorium will begin around June 4 and run for about seven months through Jan. 1, 2025.

The pause will allow the council to study and determine "the best ways to mitigate the harmful impacts of tobacco, tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, and vapor products on public health."

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City plans to assess influx of vape shops

The Iowa City City Council has scheduled an initial assessment and presentation from city attorney Eric Goers for their lone July meeting.

The council is concerned with the recent influx and popularity of tobacco and vape shops, which they believe could have a negative impact on public health.

"There has been an increased presence of retail outlets primarily focused on retail sales of tobacco, tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, and vapor products,” according to the city council agenda packet for the May 7 meeting.

The city's resolution mentions how the city may start limiting the number of tobacco permits or it could impose “separation distance requirements” for “vulnerable populations” near schools and "between" retail outlets.

The resolution references the general health effects of smoking, highlighting the use of smokeless tobacco products by middle school and high school children.

"(G)reater access and availability of tobacco, tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, and vapor products leads to greater use of those products, and thus greater public harm," the resolution reads.

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Iowa City allowed to halt permits under Iowa Code

The council's resolution cites Chapter 453A of the Iowa Code, which provides cities with the "discretionary ability" to permit or forbid the sale of tobacco products within their limits.

Businesses renewing their licenses will be exempt from the moratorium, though the renewals are expected to be considered on the day the moratorium begins.

Tobacco permits expire each year on June 30.

The city's resolution says a change in ownership does not make a business exempt. It means the business must apply for a new tobacco permit, which will not be allowed through the rest of 2024.

The seven-month ban will allow the city to study how to "mitigate" the health impact of tobacco products.

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa City halts new tobacco permits for remainder of 2024