Under new legislation passed this year, tobacco retailers will need to obtain licenses by January 1. But the window to apply has been short and some applicants say the process has been glitchy and confusing.
It risks other licenses and that is just not a risk worth taking.Shannon Stiglitz, Kentucky Retail Federation
Shannon Stiglitz with the Kentucky Retail Federation said, without the licenses, the vast majority of affected businesses would choose to stop selling at the start of the year rather than risk a violation that could have ripple effects.
"It risks other licenses and that is just not a risk worth taking," she said. "So we hope that we can come up with an immediate solution for that."
As of this week, the federation reports thousands of businesses still have not been cleared for a tobacco license.
Asked about the regulatory bottleneck, Gov. Andy Beshear did not offer any details on the state's response, promising instead to review the situation.
"If there's a challenge there, we'll look into it," the governor said Thursday. "Certainly businesses should be treated fairly."
State agencies maintain they are working as quickly as possible, but they do not have the ability, under law, to extend the deadline or grandfather in existing businesses. They do say, however, that sellers who get the proper information to them can see their license applications turned around in as little as a day.