SugarScience Blog
State Preemption: An Emerging Threat to Local Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxation
By Science Alert
We sought to examine the strategies promoting and countering state preemption of local sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes in the United States. Using Crosbie and Schmidt’s tobacco preemption framework, we analyzed key tactics used by the SSB industry to achieve state preemption of local taxes identified in news sources, industry Web sites, government reports, and public documents.
Starting in 2017, 4 states rejected and 4 passed laws preempting local SSB taxes. The beverage industry attempted to secure state preemption through front groups and trade associations, lobbying key policymakers, inserting preemptive language into other legislation, and issuing legal threats and challenges. The public health community’s response is in the early stages of engaging in media advocacy, educating policymakers, mobilizing national collaboration, and expanding legal networks.
State Preemption: An Emerging Threat to Local Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxation
Eric Crosbie PhD, Jennifer L. Pomeranz JD, MPH, Kathrine E. Wright PhD, MPH, Samantha Hoeper MSc, and Laura Schmidt PhD, MSW, MPH
American Journal of Public Health (April, 2021)
https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306062
