SUMMIT COUNTY, Ohio — Summit County Council could be moving a step closer to banning under-21 sales for cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other vaping products in multiple townships.
The council is scheduled to meet on Monday for a second reading on an ordinance that would follow the lead of Akron, which passed the "Tobacco 21" law last year. Other cities in the county - Green, Twinsburg, Mogadore, Norton and Richfield Village have taken similar measures.
Stow could also join the list. The council has a final hearing on a proposal scheduled for this Thursday.
If passed, as early as next week, businesses in nine townships could eventually face fines if workers sell tobacco products to people under 21.
The townships include Bath, Boston, Copley, Coventry, Northfield Center, Richfield, Sagamore Hills, Springfield and Twinsburg Township.
"This is something we can do here locally to stop the vaping epidemic we see in our kids and stop a future generation of smokers," said Cory Kendrick with Summit County Public Health.
Kendrick said there was a 78 percent increase in youth vaping last year.
"Vaping products contain multiple cancer-causing chemicals. It's highly addictive. It's a one-way street for teens to use traditional tobacco not even a year later," he said.
A Summit County survey revealed that 37 percent of high school students said they could purchase tobacco at stores.
"We're seeing numbers that we haven't seen since that late 90s on teens smoking," Kendrick said.
Not everyone is sold on the proposed law change.
Council member Gloria Rodgers believes it would hurt small businesses. She plans to vote against the measure.
"I am against smoking, but this should be handled in the schools, by the parents, by faith-based organizations," Rodgers said. "This is not something that we as legislators should be telling people how to live their lives and what to purchase."
Enforcement is not done by police.
Since the age change in Akron, Summit County Public Health has visited 120 businesses using an undercover shopper. Thirty percent of the stores sold tobacco products to someone under the age of 21.
All of the businesses were given warnings, but future violations could lead to $500 or $1,000 fines.
If the law passes for the townships, all of the retailers would have to pay a one-time fee of $150 for a certificate of compliance. Businesses would also be required display stickers or signs that read "Under 21 No Tobacco or Tobacco products."
