A group of Fresno smoke shops has dropped its federal lawsuit against the city over new regulations.

And that’s good news to the Fresno City Councilmembers who wrote the ordinance.

“The council is very clear that the primary purpose was to ensure the public health and safety of the city, and we remain steadfast on that principle,” Councilmember Miguel Arias said at a Wednesday morning news conference at City Hall.

Earlier this year, the council enacted new regulations on certain tobacco retailers, requiring conditional use permits to operate and limiting those permits to 49 citywide.

The California Smoke Shops Association challenged the regulations in court. The group argued that it was unfair and unconstitutional to apply regulations to smaller retailers while allowing larger stores s

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