Ohio Gov. has Until Jan. 3 to Sign Local Vape Law Ban

New e-cigarette legislation in the U.S. state of Ohio is awaiting a decision by the state’s governor, Mike DeWine. The law would ban any local jurisdiction from implementing tobacco laws that are more strict than state laws.

“We are kind of sitting on the edge of our seats waiting,” said Dr. Angelica Hardee, vice president of community impact for the Greater Cincinnati Heart Association.

DeWine appears primed to veto a bill just passed by the state legislature that would prohibit cities like Columbus from regulating vaping and other tobacco products.

Lawmakers wrote House Bill 513 to ease burdens on wholesale tobacco, Ohio’s fourth largest source of tax revenue. However, its fate hinges on an amendment that invites debate on freedom and health.

“The issue of home rule is very, very important,” DeWine said last week during an interview with WCPO 9 News, content partners of the Journal-News.

The cities of Cincinnati, Norwood, Hamilton and Middletown have stronger tobacco policies than the state.

Supporters include the Ohio Wholesale Marketers Association. The group’s executive director, Beth Wymer, told WCPO 9 News that without uniform tobacco regulation across the state, buyers will purchase more tobacco products from unregulated sellers and in neighboring states, which hurts Ohio’s tax revenue, Wymer said.

“Do we want Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Kenton, Bellefontaine, Findlay saying, ‘Listen, just like the mayor of New York did, we’re going to get rid of the Big Gulp,’” Ohio House Rep. Jon Cross of District 83 asked in session two weeks ago. “‘We’re going to get rid of the Big Gulp. No 32-ounce cokes.’ This provision talks about the tobacco side of it.”

Without tipping his hand, DeWine told WCPO 9 News last week that allowing cities home rule is important but different with tobacco because of its impact.

“Sure it’s an individual choice (to smoke),” DeWine said during the interview last week. “No one is telling you you can’t smoke. But the cost to you as a taxpayer for paying for people on Medicaid who have cancer or have other problems because of smoking is in the hundreds of hundreds of millions of dollars each year. So it co