OHIO, USA — Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein filed a lawsuit Wednesday along with 13 other Ohio cities challenging a recently passed state law that would strip away the rights of cities to regulate the sale of tobacco products at the local level.
The ban is set to take effect on April 23 after lawmakers overrode the governor’s veto of the legislation earlier this year.
Under the new law, Ohio cities would be prohibited from enacting and enforcing any regulations regarding the sale of tobacco products.
Columbus is joined on the lawsuit by Bexley, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dublin, Gahanna, Grandview Heights, Heath, Hilliard, Oxford, Reynoldsburg, Upper Arlington, Whitehall and Worthington.
In the lawsuit, cities are asking for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to block the implementation of the new law. The cities also say that the state’s law violates home rule provisions of the Ohio Constitution and harms public health, particularly among teens and minority populations.
“Stripping cities of their right to make decisions in the interest of residents isn’t just unconstitutional, it’s bad policy that harms public health and undermines the progress we’ve made to reduce tobacco usage and keep these products out of the hands of teens,” said Klein. “We are ready to make our case to the Court defending our constitutional right to home rule so that we can continue to do what’s best for the health and safety of residents who demand it.”