AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.

Stores that sell tobacco, e-cigarettes, nicotine products, kratom, cannabinoid products, or other substances with psychoactive effects—collectively called "specialized products"—would need to obtain a new state license from the Department of Agriculture and Food, costing between $300 and $2,500 annually depending on the type of business, with license fees funding tobacco/nicotine prevention efforts and expanded state lab testing. Applicants would have to disclose ownership information, and licenses could be denied if owners or key decision-makers have recent felony convictions, drug distribution convictions, or prior violations of nicotine product laws; licensed retailers would need to register every product sold with the department, notify the state before adding new products, and allow product testing on request, facing fines up to $1,000 per violation and eventual license revocation for repeat offenders, while selling without a license would carry a $50,000 civil fine. The bill would also require the State Tax Commission to revoke tobacco and nicotine licenses if a licensee is charged with storing, selling, or distributing illegally obtained controlled substances, and would newly ban advertising of e-cigarette and nicotine products on billboards, signs, and similar displays (with limited exceptions for storefront signage and print publications). Finally, the bill would lower the legal standard for criminally charging an employee who sells tobacco, e-cigarettes, or nicotine to someone under 21—from intentional or knowing conduct to "criminal negligence"—meaning a seller could face criminal penalties even without deliberately trying to sell to a minor, and would expand police "sting" authority to investigate underage sales involving certain additional tobacco-related offenses.