Cleveland and 13 other cities are suing the State of Ohio to try and stop an impending ban on municipalities regulating tobacco products.
News 5 has been following this story for the last few months.
The ban is set to go into effect on April 23 after the general assembly overrode Gov. Mike DeWine's veto in January.
In the lawsuit filed in Franklin County, cities are seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to stop the law from going into effect.
Cities argue the ban violates the state constitution and would lead to adverse health outcomes.
"Not only that they are taking away our ability to stop the sale of flavored tobacco and vape products but they're also taking away local jurisdictions' ability to do health inspections in tobacco retailers," said Cleveland's Director of Public Health, Dr. David Margolius.
Margolius said Cleveland leads the nation with a smoking rate of 35% among adults, and the city has an average life expectancy of anywhere from 10 to 20 years shorter compared to neighboring communities.
