Virginia crime panel endorses cigarette licensing

RICHMOND—Virginia lawmakers should license retailers to sell cigarettes to clamp down on smuggling from the state with the second-lowest tobacco tax in the nation, a commission recommended Tuesday.  The Virginia State Crime Commission voted 8–5 to endorse cigarette licensing and have the Alcoholic Beverage Control Department enforce it. The panel also backed measures to improve the effectiveness of search-and-rescue efforts. It also postponed until next year a decision on whether to make texting of sexually explicit photos by teenagers a misdemeanor.

Commission endorsements carry weight but do not guarantee legislative approval. The cigarette proposal likely faces long odds in a House of Delegates dominated by conservative Republicans averse to increased state regulation. GOP House members on the commission voted against the measure. Thirty-six other states require cigarette retailers to obtain a license.

 

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