How State Preemption of Local Smokefree Air Laws Adversely Impacts Quitting

Comprehensive smokefree air laws can effectively reduce the burden of tobacco by prohibiting smoking in places like worksites, bars, restaurants, and playgrounds. Unfortunately, some local jurisdictions lack the legal authority to enact such laws because of preemption.

Preemption is the invalidation of one jurisdiction’s law by the law of a higher jurisdiction, and it can prevent local government from being able to address its community’s needs. This short fact sheet summarizes new research on how preemption affects health behaviors and outcomes, and explains how preemption of local smokefree air laws is bad for public health.

To learn more, see our companion fact sheet on preemption of local youth access laws. In addition, ChangeLab Solutions also offers a fact sheet series on understanding preemption.