On Monday the Columbus City council voted to approve the ban on sales of flavoured cigarettes and vaping products. This ban adds Columbus to a small list of major cities in the United States who have taken the bold move to prohibit the sale of flavoured nicotine delivery products within their boundaries. The Columbus flavour ban was voted unanimously by all the seven council members who supported the move. This came despite strong and spirited opposition to the ban mounted by vaping product distributors and suppliers within the city.
The ordinance to ban the sale of flavoured tobacco products in Columbus Ohio now awaits the approval of Mayor Andrew Ginther. The mayor has already shown support for the ban and is likely to sign it in the coming days. If approved the ordinance will come into effect on January 1st 2024. This means that vaping suppliers in the city have exactly 12 months to clear any stock of flavoured vaping products before selling these products in the great Columbus city becomes a crime.
The ordinance prohibits the sale of flavoured tobacco products within the city limits. This is a blanket ban that applies to all vaping products with or without nicotine. It also includes low-risk flavoured items such as snus and nicotine pouches. The ordinance also bans all kinds of flavoured tobacco products including menthol cigarettes. However, citizens who love to enjoy their flavoured tobacco products inside licensed hookah bars have an exception to use hookah tobacco inside those bars only.
The passing of this ordinance is the work of the Coalition to End Tobacco Targeting, a group that has been working to prevent chronic ailments by ending tobacco addiction. The Coalition to End Tobacco is the lobbying arm for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Tobacco-Free Kids organization works across many cities across the country seeking to ban the sale of flavoured tobacco products. This is particularly an important area for the organization as kids and teenagers are more attracted to vaping and cigarettes because of the many exciting flavours that these products are made with. By seeking to have flavoured tobacco products banned the organization hopes to save many kids and teens from ever trying these products.
Usually, to help ban flavoured tobacco products the organization put in place strategies to run the process from beginning to end. This involves setting the agenda, researching and publishing facts on the dangers of vaping and encouraging locals to learn more about the dangers of tobacco products. To do this it works in partnership with local community groups, local media, the city health departments, and local schools and churches. This helps build a solid team of ambassadors seeking to put an end to a common problem facing the community at large.
Columbus has a population of more than 900,000 people. This makes it the largest city in Ohio. It is also the state’s capital city and is home to 6 Fortune 500 companies as well as the Ohio state university. The ban on the sale of flavoured tobacco products in the city is thus a significant step towards getting the products banned in other cities in the states and across state lines.
