National Healthy Lung Month
National Healthy Lung Month
National Healthy Lung Month Campaign "You Have Been Targeted".
During the month of October we recognize National Healthy Lung Month to increase awareness and education around this very important topic. To prioritize the importance of protecting our lungs against general neglect, bronchitis, mold, air pollution, and smoking. The bottom line is If we take care of our lungs, our lungs will take care of us.
The Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition in collaboration with The Center for Black Health & Equity will release a series of billboards throughout Northeast Ohio aimed at addressing the impact of smoking on the African American community. The campaign will feature Grammy and Billboard Award Winning Singer and Writer Joe Little III with Entertainers Speak Out, National Council of Negro Women Inc. Chapter Presidents for the Cuyahoga and Lorain County Sections, Cuyahoga County Poet Laureate Honey Bell Bey, medical professionals, prominent clergy and community advocates.
"You Have Been Targeted" speaks to the need for the African American community to understand the risks of smoking particularly mentholated products and the industries deliberate targeting of African American consumers. This campaign seeks to enlighten and engage the community of their risks and help them with the tools they need to Choose Life.
NORTHEAST OHIO BLACK HEALTH COALITION MENTHOL FREE COMMUNITIES IN THE NEWS
https://www.communitysolutions.com/menthol-movement-tobacco-became-racial-justice-issue
Fighting for Our Lives - Menthol Free Communities
TOBACCO 21 AND TOBACCO RETAILER LICENSING ORDINANCE
FOR THE CITY OF CLEVELAND
Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation (PTAF) recommends adopting a new civil Chapter in Cleveland Codified Ordinances Part Two: Health Code, Title I: Nuisances and General Provisions, Chapter 241- Tobacco Product Sales, and amending existing Section 607.15 of the Codified Ordinances of Cleveland, Ohio.
Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation (PTAF) recommends adopting a new civil Chapter in Cleveland Codified Ordinances Part Two: Health Code, Title I: Nuisances and General Provisions, Chapter 241- Tobacco Product Sales, and amending existing Section 607.15 of the Codified Ordinances of Cleveland, Ohio.
DRAFT TOBACCO 21 AND TOBACCO RETAILER LICENSING ORDINANCE
FOR THE CITY OF CLEVELAND
WHEREAS CLAUSES:
WHEREAS ninety-five percent (95%) of all adult smokers began smoking before age twenty-one (21);
WHEREAS, an earlier age of initiation is associated with greater levels of nicotine dependence and greater intensity and persistence of smoking beyond adolescence and through adulthood;
WHEREAS, the parts of the brain most responsible for decision making, impulse control, sensation seeking, and susceptibility to peer pressure continue to develop and change through young adulthood, and adolescent brains are uniquely vulnerable to the effects of nicotine and nicotine addiction;
WHEREAS, raising the legal sales age to 21 puts legal purchasers outside the social circle of most high school students. Tobacco 21 laws make it more difficult for 16- and 17- year-olds to pass as legal purchasers and then serve as social suppliers to their friends;
WHEREAS, data from the 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) shows that among high school students, current e-cigarette use was 19.6% in 2020; of these students, 22.5% used e-cigarettes on a daily basis. Additionally, more than 80% of current youth e-cigarette users reported using flavored products;
WHEREAS, the Institute of Medicine predicted raising the minimum legal sales age for tobacco products to 21 will provide long-term declines in smoking rates by reducing tobacco initiation among adolescents aged 15 to 17 by twenty five percent (25%) and reduce overall prevalence of tobacco use by twelve percent (12%);
WHEREAS, a local licensing system for tobacco retailers is necessary to protect the public health, safety, and welfare of our residents. A licensing system allows for local control to regulate businesses to discourage violations of tobacco-related laws. Licensing laws, when actively enforced, have been effective in reducing the number of illegal tobacco sales to underage persons;
WHEREAS, at least 545 cities and counties across the country and 30 states, including Ohio, have raised the minimum legal sale age of tobacco to 21.
Chapter 241- Tobacco Product Sales
241.01- DEFINITIONS
For the purpose of this Chapter, the following definitions shall apply:
“Authorized Agent” means an entity with which the Department has contracted to administer enforcement, community outreach and education, and/or other provisions contained in this Chapter.
“City” means the city of Cleveland, Ohio.
“Department” means the Cleveland Department of Public Health or its Authorized Agent.
“Distribute” or “sale” or “sell” means selling, giving, bartering, exchanging, providing, delivering, furnishing, or otherwise distributing Tobacco Products. Sale or sell also includes attempts to sell, offers to sell, barter, or exchange, whether gratuitously or for any type of compensation.
“Electronic Smoking Device” means any device that may be used to deliver any aerosolized or vaporized substance to the person inhaling from the device, including, but not limited to, an e-cigarette, e-cigar, e-pipe, vape pen or e-hookah. Electronic Smoking Device includes any component, part, or accessory of such a device, whether or not sold separately, and also includes any substance that may be aerosolized or vaporized by such device, whether or not the substance contains nicotine. “Electronic Smoking Device” does not include drugs, devices, or combination products authorized for sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as those terms are defined in the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
“Flavored Tobacco Product” means any Tobacco Product that imparts a taste or smell, other than the taste or smell of tobacco, that is distinguishable by an ordinary consumer either prior to, or during the consumption of, a Tobacco Product, including, but not limited to, any taste or smell relating to fruit, menthol, mint, wintergreen, chocolate, cocoa, vanilla, honey, or any candy, dessert, alcoholic beverage, herb, or spice.
“Self-service Display” means the open display or storage of Tobacco Products in a manner that is physically accessible in any way to the general public without the assistance of the Tobacco Retailer or its agent, employee, or representative and a direct person-to-person transfer between the purchaser and the Tobacco Retailer or its agent, employee, or representative.
“Tobacco Product” means: (1) any product containing, made of, or derived from tobacco or nicotine that is intended for human consumption or is likely to be consumed, whether inhaled, absorbed, or ingested by any other means, including, but not limited to, a cigarette, a cigar, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, snuff, or snus; (2) any Electronic Smoking Device as defined in this section and any substances that may be aerosolized or vaporized by such device, whether or not the substance contains nicotine; or (3) any component, part, or accessory of (1) or (2), whether or not any of these contains tobacco or nicotine, including, but not limited to, filters, rolling papers, blunt or hemp wraps, and pipes. “Tobacco Product” does not include drugs, devices, or combination products authorized for sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as those terms are defined in the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
“Tobacco Retailer” means any individual, firm, partnership, joint venture, association, joint stock company, corporation, unincorporated business entity, or any other group acting as a unit that owns a business where Tobacco Products are available for sale to the general public. “Tobacco Retailer” does not mean the employees or agents of an owner of a business where Tobacco Products are available for sale to the general public.
241.02-LICENSE REQUIRED
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Each Tobacco Retailer engaging in the sale of Tobacco Products shall secure a tobacco retail sales license from the Department or its Authorized Agent for each location where it sells Tobacco Products in the City before engaging or continuing to engage in such business. No Tobacco Retailer may sell Tobacco Products without a valid tobacco retail sales license. An application for a tobacco retail sales license shall contain the full name of the applicant, the applicant’s business and personal address and telephone number, the name of the business for which the tobacco retail sales license is sought, a copy of the applicant’s valid vendor’s license from the Ohio Department of Taxation, if applicable, and any additional information the City or the Department deems necessary.
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No Tobacco Retailer shall engage in the sale of Tobacco Products without a tobacco retail sales license after XX/XX/XX [180 days after policy adoption date].
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A tobacco retail sales license shall be renewed annually and shall remain valid for a period beginning with the date of issuance of the tobacco retail sales license and ending on the last day of December following the date of the issuance of the tobacco retail sales license unless sooner revoked as allowed by this Chapter, or unless the Tobacco Retailer to whom it was issued discontinues business, in either of which cases the holder of the tobacco retail sales license shall immediately return it to the Department. A tobacco retail sales license shall not be transferred from one Tobacco Retailer to another or from one location to another.
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The Tobacco Retailer shall display the tobacco retail sales license at all times and shall provide it to any person upon request. In the event of mutilation or destruction of the tobacco retail sales license, a duplicate copy, marked as such, shall be issued by the Department upon application accompanied by a fee set by the Department.
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No tobacco retail sales license shall be issued or renewed to a Tobacco Retailer unless the Tobacco Retailer signs a form stating that the Tobacco Retailer has read this Chapter and has provided training to all employees regarding the sale of Tobacco Products. Such training shall inform employees that the sale of Tobacco Products to persons under 21 years of age is illegal, identify the types of identification legally acceptable for proof of age, and explain that sales to persons under 21 years of age shall subject the Tobacco Retailer to penalties.
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No tobacco retail sales license shall be issued to a person under 21 years of age.
241.03- TOBACCO RETAIL SALES LICENSE FEE
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The fee for a tobacco retail sales license shall be used to cover the administrative cost for licensing, community outreach, education and training, retail inspections, and unannounced compliance checks. The tobacco retail sales license fee should not exceed the cost of the license administration, community outreach, education and training, and enforcement program authorized by this Chapter.
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The fee for a tobacco retail sales license shall be initially set, and subsequently reviewed and adjusted annually, by the Department.
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Licensing fees are due at the time of application and are not refundable. A tobacco retail sales license cannot be renewed if the Tobacco Retailer has outstanding fines pursuant to this article.
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All fees and fines collected from licensing and infractions of this Chapter are to be deposited into a “Tobacco Enforcement and Education Fund" administered by the Department to cover the administrative costs for licensing, community outreach, education and training, retail inspections, and unannounced compliance checks.
241.04- RESTRICTIONS ON THE SALE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS
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Age Restriction. No Tobacco Retailer or its agent, employee, or representative shall sell or otherwise distribute any Tobacco Product to any person under twenty-one (21) years of age.
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Age Verification. Tobacco Retailers or their agents, employees, or representatives shall verify by means of government-issued photographic identification that the purchaser is at least twenty-one years of age. Verification is not required for a person over the age of 30. That the purchaser appeared to be 30 years of age or older shall not constitute a defense to a violation of this section.
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Signage. “THE SALE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO PERSONS UNDER 21 IS PROHIBITED” signs shall be legibly printed in letters at least one inch high and shall be posted clearly and conspicuously in every location where Tobacco Products are sold.
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Selling Tobacco Products in any place that does not have a sign consistent with this section is prohibited by law and punishable under this Chapter.
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Flavored Tobacco Product Sales Prohibition. It shall be unlawful for a Tobacco Retailer or its agent, employee, or representative to sell or offer for sale any Flavored Tobacco Product.
There shall be a rebuttable presumption that a Tobacco Product is a Flavored Tobacco Product if a Tobacco Retailer, manufacturer, or any employee or agent of a Tobacco Retailer or manufacturer:
1. makes a public statement or claim that a Tobacco Product imparts a taste or smell other than the taste or smell of tobacco; or
2. uses text, images, or coloring on the Tobacco Product’s labeling or packaging to explicitly or implicitly indicate that the Tobacco Product imparts a taste or smell other than the taste or smell of tobacco.
241.05- SELF-SERVICE DISPLAY RESTRICTIONS
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No Tobacco Retailer or its agent, employee, or representative shall sell or otherwise distribute Tobacco Products by or from a Self-service Display except in places where persons under the age of twenty-one (21) are not permitted access.
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Non-compliance with this section will result in license suspension until the Tobacco Products have been placed behind a counter or locked doors.
241.06- ENFORCEMENT
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This Chapter shall be enforced by the Department or its Authorized Agent.
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The Department or its Authorized Agent may, while a Tobacco Retailer is otherwise undergoing inspection, inspect for compliance with this Chapter.
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All Tobacco Retailers must be open to inspection by the Department or its Authorized Agent during regular business hours.
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All Tobacco Retailers will be subject to at least two (2) unannounced compliance checks annually. The Department shall conduct compliance checks by engaging persons between the ages of 18 and 20 to enter the premises of Tobacco Retailers to attempt to purchase Tobacco Products. Unannounced follow-up compliance check(s) of all non-compliant Tobacco Retailers are required within three (3) months of any violation of this Chapter.
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The results of all compliance checks and inspections may be published by the Department or its Authorized Agent at least annually and made available to the public upon request.
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Any person who desires to register a complaint pursuant to this Chapter may do so by contacting the Department and the Department shall investigate.
241.07-Violations and Penalties
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If the Department or its Authorized Agent observes violation(s) of this Chapter or Section 607.15, the following civil fines and penalties shall be imposed on the Tobacco Retailer:
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For a first violation, a fine of no less than $500.
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For a second violation within a thirty-six (36) month period, a fine of no less than $750 and the tobacco retail sales license of a Tobacco Retailer shall be suspended for a minimum of seven (7) days.
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For a third violation within a thirty-six (36) month period, a fine of no less than $1,000 and the tobacco retail sales license of a Tobacco Retailer shall be suspended for a minimum of thirty (30) days.
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For a fourth and any subsequent violations within a thirty-six (36) month period, a fine of no less than $1,000 and the tobacco retail sales license of a Tobacco Retailer shall be revoked.
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Each violation, and every day in which a violation occurs or continues, shall constitute a separate offense. The determination that a violation has occurred shall be in writing and mailed to the Tobacco Retailer by the Department no later than thirty (30) days from the date of the violation. The written notice shall specify the Chapter and section with which the Tobacco Retailer is in violation. Tobacco Retailers have the right to appeal civil penalties in accordance with City code. [Include location specific appeals process (i.e. time for hearing; appointment of hearing officer; how decision is communicated; entity responsible for costs of hearing)]
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A tobacco retail sales license issued under this Chapter may also be denied, suspended, or revoked by the Department through written notice should the Tobacco Retailer or Tobacco Retailer’s agent, employee, or representative directly or indirectly:
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Sell Tobacco Products without a valid tobacco retail sales license;
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Fail to pay fines issued in accordance with this Chapter;
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Have a tobacco retail sales license revoked within the preceding 12 months of the date of application for a tobacco retail sales license;
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Fail to provide required information or provide false or misleading information on the application for a tobacco retail sales license; or
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Violate any federal, state, or local tobacco laws
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All Tobacco Products shall be removed from the premises upon suspension or revocation of a tobacco retail sales license. Failure to remove all tobacco products shall constitute a separate violation punishable by a fine to be set by the Department for each and every day of noncompliance.
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A Tobacco Retailer that engages in the sale of Tobacco Products without a valid tobacco retail sales license issued pursuant to this Chapter shall be guilty of distribution of Tobacco Products without a tobacco retail sales license, a misdemeanor of the first degree. If the offender previously has been convicted of a violation of this section, then the Tobacco Retailer shall be denied a tobacco retail sales license for a period of 5 years.
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A violation of section 241.04 is hereby declared to be a nuisance which affects and endangers the public health. The Commissioner of Environmental Health, the Department, or any Authorized Agent who determines a violation has occurred may impose the penalties set forth in Chapter 203. Enforcement of this section is in addition to any other method of enforcement provided under the ordinances of the City.
241.08-Public Education
The Department or its Authorized Agent shall engage in a continuing public health education program to explain and clarify the purposes and requirements of this Chapter to Tobacco Retailers and the public. The program may include publication of a brochure in writing and online for Tobacco Retailers to explain the requirements of this Chapter.
241.09- Rulemaking Authority
The Department is hereby authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to carry out the purpose and intent of this article in order to protect the public health, safety and welfare.
241.10- Liberal Construction
This Chapter shall be liberally construed so as to further its purposes.
241.11- Severability
The provisions of this Chapter are hereby declared severable, and if any provision, clause, sentence, or paragraph of this Chapter or the application thereof to any person or circumstances are held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, such a ruling shall not affect the other parts of this Chapter that can be given effect.
241.12- Effective Date
This ordinance shall take effect upon adoption, and the City, the Department, or its Authorized Agent shall implement the licensing, enforcement, and public education requirements within one hundred and eighty (180) days from the date of its adoption.
Cleveland, OH Code of Ordinances
CHAPTER 607 – DRUG ABUSE CONTROL
. . .
607.15 Illegal Distribution of Cigarettes, Other Tobacco Products or Alternative Nicotine Products
. . .
Cross-reference: Adulterating food with drug of abuse, CO 629.03 Taking drug of abuse into hospital, CO 617.10 Using weapons while under the influence, CO 627.04
Statutory reference: See sectional histories for similar State law Analysis report and notarized statement as evidence, RC 2925.51 Criteria for granting probation, RC 3719.70 Federal prosecution bar to local prosecution, RC 2925.50, 3719.19
§ 607.15 Illegal Distribution of Cigarettes or Tobacco Products
(a) As used in this section:
(1) A. "Alternative nicotine product" means, subject to division (a)(1)B. of this section, an electronic cigarette or any other product or device that consists of or contains nicotine that can be ingested into the body by any means, including, but not limited to, chewing, smoking, absorbing, dissolving, or inhaling.
B. "Alternative nicotine product" does not include any of the following:
(i) Any cigarette or other tobacco product;
(ii) Any product that is a "drug" as that term is defined in 21 U.S.C. 321(g)(1);
(iii) Any product that is a "device" as that term is defined in 21 U.S.C. 321(h).
(iv) Any product that is a "combination product" as described in 21 U.S.C. 353(g).
(2) "Child" has the same meaning as in RC 2151.011.
(3) "Cigarette" includes clove cigarettes and hand-rolled cigarettes.
(4) "Distribute" means to furnish, give, sell or provide, or attempt to do so, whether gratuitously or for any type of compensation, cigarettes or tobacco products to the ultimate consumer of the cigarettes or tobacco products.
(5) A. "Electronic cigarette" means, subject to division (a)(5)B. of this section, any electronic product or device that produces a vapor that delivers nicotine or any other substance to the person inhaling from the device to simulate smoking and that is likely to be offered to or purchased by consumers as an electronic cigarette, electronic cigar, electronic cigarillo, or electronic pipe.
B. Electronic cigarette" does not include any item, product, or device described in division (a)(1)B. of this section.
(6) "Tobacco product" means any product that is made from tobacco, including, but not limited to, a cigarette, a cigar, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, or snuff.
(7) "Vending machine" has the same meaning as "coin machine" in RC 2913.01.
(8) "Young adult" means a person who is eighteen (18) years of age or older, but under twenty-one (21) years of age.
(b) No manufacturer, producer, distributor, wholesaler or retailer of cigarettes, or tobacco products, and no agent, employee or representative of a manufacturer, producer, distributor, wholesaler or retailer of cigarettes or tobacco products, and no other person shall do any of the following:
(1) Give, sell or otherwise distribute cigarettes, or tobacco products to any person under the age of twenty-one (21);
(2) Distribute cigarettes or tobacco products to any individual who does not demonstrate, through a driver's license or other photographic identification card issued by a government entity or educational institution that the individual is at least twenty-one (21) years of age, unless the individual reasonably appears to be at least thirty (30) years of age, provided however, that such appearance shall not constitute a defense in any proceeding alleging the sale of cigarettes or tobacco products to an individual under twenty-one (21) years of age;
(3) Give away, sell or distribute cigarettes, or tobacco products in any business that does not have posted in a conspicuous place a sign, in accordance with rules of the Department of Public Health, stating that giving, selling or otherwise distributing cigarettes, or tobacco products, to a person under twenty-one (21) years of age is prohibited by law;
(4) Knowingly furnish any false information regarding the name, age, or other identification of any child or young adult with purpose to obtain cigarettes, or tobacco products, for that person under the age of twenty-one (21);
(5) Manufacture, sell, or distribute in this City any pack or other container of cigarettes or tobacco product containing fewer than twenty (20) cigarettes or any package of roll-your-own tobacco containing less than six-tenths (0.6) of one (1) ounce of tobacco;
(6) Distribute cigarettes, or tobacco products in a smaller quantity than that placed in the pack or other container by the manufacturer;
(7) Distribute other tobacco products in a smaller quantity than was intended for retail when the product was packaged by the manufacturer.
(c) No person shall sell or offer to sell cigarettes, or tobacco products, by or from a vending machine except in the following locations:
(1) An area:
A. To which persons under the age of twenty-one (21) years are not permitted access;
(2) In any other place not identified in division (c)(1) of this section, upon all of the following conditions:
A. The vending machine is located within the immediate vicinity, plain view, and control of the person who owns or operates the place, or an employee of such person, so that all cigarettes or tobacco products sold from the vending machine will be readily observed by the person who owns or operates the place or an employee of such person. For the purpose of this section, a vending machine located in any unmonitored area, including an unmonitored coatroom, restroom, hallway, or outer waiting area, shall not be considered located within the immediate vicinity, plain view, and control of the person who owns or operates the place, or an employee of such person.
B. The vending machine is inaccessible to the public when the place is closed.
(d) The following are affirmative defenses to a charge under division (b)(1) of this section:
(1) The parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a person under the age of 18 has consented in writing to a person under the age of 18 participating in the research protocol, or the young adult person over the age of 18, but under the age of 21 has consented in writing, on his or her own behalf, to participate in the research protocol.
(e) It is not a violation of division (b)(1) or (2) of this section for a person to give or otherwise distribute to a person under the age of 21 cigarettes or tobacco products while the person under the age of 21 is participating in a research protocol if all of the following apply:
(1) The parent, guardian, or legal custodian of the child a person under the age of 18 has consented in writing to a person under the age of 18 participating in the research protocol, or the young adult person over the age of 18, but under the age of 21 has consented in writing, on his or her own behalf, to participate in the research protocol.
(2) An institutional human subjects protection review board, or equivalent entity, has approved the research protocol.
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A person under the age of 18 or person over the age of 18, but under the age of 21is participating in the research protocol at the facility or location specified in the research protocol.
(g) (1) Whoever violates division (b)(1), (3), (5), (6) or (7) or divisions (c) is guilty of illegal distribution of cigarettes or tobacco products. Except as otherwise provided in this division, illegal distribution of cigarettes or tobacco products is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. If the offender has previously been convicted of a violation of division (b)(1), (3), (5), (6), or (7), or divisions (c) of this section or divisions (B)(1), (2), (4), or (5) or (C) of RC 2927.02, then illegal distribution of cigarettes or tobacco products is a misdemeanor of the third degree.
(2) Whoever violates division (b)(4)of this section is guilty of permitting children or young adults to use cigarettes or tobacco products. Except as otherwise provided in this division, permitting children or young adults to use cigarettes or tobacco products is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. If the offender previously has been convicted of a violation of division (4) of this section or division (B)(3) of RC 2927.02, permitting children or young adults to use cigarettes or tobacco products is a misdemeanor of the third degree.
(h) Any cigarettes tobacco products, , or papers used to roll cigarettes that are given or sold to a child or young adult in violation of this section, or distributed to a child in violation of this section and that are used, possessed, purchased, or received by a child in violation of RC 2151.87 are subject to seizure and forfeiture as contraband under RC Chapter 2981.
(Ord. No. 737-15. Passed 12-7-15, eff. 4-13-16)
Statutory reference: Similar state law, see RC 2927.02
REPORTS
https://www.lung.org/getmedia/3c56576e-1be2-4408-a0f4-2dd7674fa32e/sotc-2022-final-report.pdf
American Lung Association releases annual 'State of Tobacco' report, Ohio receives three 'F' grades
The American Lung Association (ALA) released its 20th annual 'State of Tobacco Control' report overnight. For the second year in a row, Ohio received mostly failing grades.