Kentucky Senate Bill 100 is poised to advance from the House Committee this week, introducing new regulations that could significantly impact retailers of nicotine and vapor products.

The bill seeks to establish a licensing requirement for retailers and impose stricter penalties for underage sales, a move that has drawn both support and criticism from industry stakeholders.

The legislation has sparked debate among advocacy groups, public health officials, and business owners. Proponents argue that the bill is necessary to curb youth access to vaping products, while retailers warn

Ginny Saville, owner of the Kentucky-based smoke shop Botany Bay, fear the bill’s provisions could devastate small retailers. “If the state wants to control access to minors, what they’re doing is not going to accomplish that objective. All it’s going to do is put small businesses out of business,” Saville argued.

Saville is particularly concerned about the financial burden that licensing fees and compliance costs could impose, likening it to previous anti-vaping measures that negatively impacted retailers. “I don’t want to lose half my crew. I don’t want my own personal standard of living to come down. None of this is fair,” she said.