Oxford City Council reintroduced an ordinance pertaining to the license requirements of tobacco retailers at its Oct. 1 meeting. This ordinance includes a few minor adjustments to a similar ordinance that had been passed a year ago, which has not yet been implemented. 

The goal of the ordinance is to put a local licensing requirement in place to further prevent the sale of tobacco to those under 21 years of age, according to Sam Perry, Oxford’s community development director.

The current ordinance (voted on last year) has licensing requirements at the county level, but does not give the local community any ability to revoke or suspend a license for non-compliance, including selling tobacco products to underage users.

Many members of the Oxford community spoke on behalf of this ordinance at the Oct. 1 board meeting, including an administrator of the Talawanda School District. The Coalition for a Healthy Community, Oxford Area thanked the council for working to keep Oxford’s youth safe and healthy. 

The new ordinance will be read for the second time and voted on at the Oct. 15 board meeting. If enacted, the ordinance will go into effect Jan. 1, 2025.

– Olivia Patel