CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Chesterfield County is cracking down on where new tobacco and vape shops are located.
The Chesterfield Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday night to approve a new zoning ordinance for these specialty shops, targeting how far they can be from schools, parks, and other similar shops.
The ordinance requires new stores retailing recreational substances, which include tobacco, vaping, hemp, and Kratom products, to be located at least 2,000 feet from the property line of any public or private school in the county, grades pre-K through 12.
They must also be at least 2,000 feet from the property line of an existing retailers.
Hours of operation will be limited from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Sunday.
The ordinance will be applied to any establishment, facility, or location where 25% of its total inventory or 15% or more of its total display shelf area included recreational substances.
The goal is to decrease the number of teens using tobacco or vape products.
"We found some national studies that show a real correlation between the proximity of these types of stores with schools and the increase of likelihood of students smoking or vaping," Chesterfield Planning Director Andrew Gillies said.
A November 2022 study by the National Youth Tobacco Survey, found more than 3 million middle and high school students currently use a tobacco product.
Roughly 16% are high school students and 4.5% are middle school students.
County planners cited several studies from Johns Hopkins Medicine, California's Department of Public Health, and the Nicotine and Tobacco Research when proposing the new ordinance.
According to those studies, the density of tobacco retailers is associated with higher youth smoking rates.
Vape and tobacco shops had a "significantly higher" rate of violations than other retailers in checking IDs.
A manager at a tobacco and vape shop off Hull Street did not want to go on camera, but said they require ID checks for every customer, often spotting teenagers and other underage customers trying to buy.
Gillies said the county has received several calls from business owners with concerns.
"We've had some calls and concerns about this action and how it might affect their business, but I think the public health issue is a higher priority for us to see some control put in place. We have 50 of these already in Chesterfield, and we want to make sure we do a better job of where they are in the future," Gillies said.
Existing businesses would not have to change their location or operational hours.
Gillies said he is not aware of any businesses in the opening process that may be affected by the change.
Future stores could only operate in limited zoning districts by requesting and receiving approval for a conditional-use permit from the county.
The ordinance could go into effect as early as Thursday, April 27.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
