WEST VIRGINIA FOR THE WIN
After a quick 60 days, the 2020 West Virginia legislative session came to a close on March 7th. Another year has passed where public health advocates successfully stopped an avalanche of more than 50 preemption bills that would have undermined local control for tobacco control and a wide range of other local policy issues.
Through grassroots organizing, West Virginians took action and affirmed their support for local control. No one is asking for less capacity to address problems in their own community. In the meantime, several counties are considering strengthening clean indoor air provisions to include e-cigarettes. The statewide coalition continues to build momentum in gaining new partnerships to protect local progress. Advocates will also continue to meet with state decision-makers at home in their districts to say, “Enough already—prioritize people and public health to close gaps in smokefree protections!”
Read more about preemption at our sister site: Protect Local Control
