If you think that state laws don't matter, think again — and it doesn't take an outrageous piece of legislation like North Carolina's bathroom law and the backlash it's generated in recent days to have an impact on the rest of the country. Efforts to protect honeybees and other pollinators just got a big boost thanks, in part, to recent actions in Annapolis.

Just days ago, the Maryland General Assembly overwhelming approved the Pollinator Protection Act on a bipartisan vote (98-39 in the House of Delegates and 34-12 in the Senate) that restricts consumer use of neonicotinoid pesticides, making Maryland the first state in the nation to do so. Neonicotinoids or “neonics” have been linked to massive losses in bees and other native pollinators that are crucial for the reproduction of flowering plants — and for the food supply.

Even before Gov. Larry Hogan has had a chance to sign the measure into law, a leading garden supply company indicated it will stop using the chemicals in its products. Ohio-based Ortho announced just hours after the legislative session concluded on Monday night that it will transition away from neonicotinoids for outdoor use. It will stop using them in all products within two to five years, according to company officials.

The decision may prove controversial, but it wasn't too big a shock given that Ortho was already in the process of removing the chemicals from its pesticides and that two major home improvement stores, Lowe's and Home Depot, had announced last year that they would stop selling neonicotinoid-based products in their garden supply sections as well. But the actions in Annapolis likely added fuel to the fire given the heavy lobbying from manufacturers against the bill — and the general reluctance of states to regulate pesticides in deference to agribusiness. (Maryland lawmakers hadn't approved a pesticide regulatory bill since 1998 when the practice of Integrated Pest Management was required in schools to reduce student exposure to harmful chemicals.)

What ultimately persuaded lawmakers was the science — both the importance of insect pollination and the threat posed by bee losses. That honeybees and other pollinators are crucial to the food chain is well-documented as are their diminishing populations. The exact cause of the decline isn't certain, but neonics are believed to play a significant role — as studies have shown they can attack the insects' nervous systems, which, in turn, can leave them vulnerable to disease or predation.

Maryland isn't the only state that has been debating the problem. Similar legislation has been introduced in at least 13 states. And the legislation could easily have gone further — the original version of the bill called for nurseries to indicate when plants have been treated with neonicotinoids, but the restriction was eventually dropped. Nor does the legislation restrict the use of the pesticide by licensed applicators or farmers.

Given that there are alternatives available to consumers to control harmful insects including other forms of pesticides, the choice should be relatively easy. Why wait for species to be put on the endangered list — as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is already considering doing for two types of bumblebees because their numbers have been in such steep decline — before taking preventive action?

Granted, restricting neonics isn't the only action needed to protect pollinators. Experts say consumers can further reduce pesticide use, create backyard gardens with a variety of flowers that bloom at different times of the year and provide nesting habitat such as open ground or even blocks of wood. The Fish and Wildlife Service has a list of tips for homeowners interested in helping pollinators on the agency's website, www.fws.gov/pollinators/pollinatorpages/yourhelp.html#bee.

We hope other companies will voluntarily step forward and follow Ortho's lead — much as businesses and others who wish to stand up for civil rights have protested anti-LGBT laws in North Carolina and elsewhere. Acting in the public interest should always be regarded as a sound business practice — as should preserving the environment. In Maryland alone, beekeepers lost 61 percent of their hives last year. Even if neonics aren't the only culprit, it's time this widespread threat was addressed and pollinators were given a chance to rebound.