A Washington County ban on retailers selling flavored vaping and other tobacco products has been put on hold and will be on the ballot in May after petitioners gathered signatures to stop the ban, the county announced.
Ordinance 878, passed November 2, 2021 by the Washington County Board of Commissioners, banned the sale of flavored tobacco products and flavored synthetic nicotine, according to news reports.
The ban went into effect December 2, 2021 but retailers had until January 1, 2022 to take the products off the shelves, when the ordinance was enforced.
However, enough signatures have been gathered to place the ordinance “on hold” while a Washington County Election official verifies the signatures to reverse the ban. The county has 15 days to verify the signatures.
This means Washington County retailers can now sell the flavored tobacco products and the ban will not be enforced while signatures are verified.
Meanwhile, the ordinance can still go back in place if there aren’t enough signatures, or if a majority of voters approve it in May.