Title
To amend Chapter 715 of the Columbus City Codes to prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products and to provide for civil penalties; to repeal pre-empted provisions of Chapter 715; and to repeal provisions of Chapter 2329.
Body
WHEREAS, it is the goal of the City of Columbus and Columbus Public Health to protect residents from dangerous products and to reverse the impacts of generations of tobacco marketing focused on African Americans and children; and
WHEREAS, maximizing harm reduction requires limiting the availability of flavored tobacco products and ensuring enforcement of Ohio’s T21 and local laws to ensure that children cannot access addictive tobacco products; and
WHEREAS, tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing nearly half a million people each year. It causes or contributes to many forms of cancer, as well as heart disease and respiratory diseases, among other health disorders; and
WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 2 million U.S. middle and high school students reported currently using e-cigarettes in 2021, with more than 8 in 10 of those youth using flavored e-cigarettes; and
WHEREAS, every day, about 2,500 children in the United States try their first cigarette, and another 400 children under 18 years of age become new regular daily smokers. 81% of youth who have ever used a tobacco product report that the first tobacco product they used was flavored; and
WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a more than 800% increase in electronic cigarette use among middle school and high school students between 2011 and 2015 alone; and
WHEREAS, nicotine solutions, which are consumed via electronic smoking devices such as electronic cigarettes, are sold in thousands of flavors that appeal to youth, such as cotton candy, bubble gum, banana smash and mango ice; and
WHEREAS, data from the 2019 Ohio Youth Tobacco Survey indicates that ne...
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