COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) – Fruity vapes, menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products will soon return to gas station shelves in Columbus and other Ohio cities that banned their sale.
The Ohio Senate on Wednesday voted to override Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto on a provision prohibiting local governments from enacting regulations on the sale of tobacco — including by banning flavored tobacco products. The policy, which will go into effect in three months, means that newly-enacted flavored tobacco bans in Columbus, Worthington and other central Ohio cities cannot be enforced.
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Sen. Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus) said upholding local authority to ban flavored tobacco is essential to safeguarding public health, and especially the health of minors. He argued that decreasing tobacco use occurs at the ground level, starting with local control over regulations followed by “comprehensive statewide policy.”
Sen. Kent Smith (D-Euclid) argued that overriding the veto wouldn’t just prevent bans on flavored tobacco — it would render long-standing local tobacco licensing regulations void. Those programs often target the sale of tobacco products to minors, something he said was essential to promoting public health.