Grandview Heights appears ready to decriminalize underage smoking
The Grandview Heights City Council appears ready to take a step back on the new underage tobacco ban that they passed just two weeks ago, part of which they had already said that they had no plans to enforce.
The council, following in the footsteps of other local communities like Bexley and Upper Arlington, banned the sale of tobacco products to customers under the age of 21. (In Ohio, the legal age for purchasing and using such products is 18.) In a move that separated Grandview’s ban from those other bans, the council also declared that smoking under the age of 21 would be considered a low-level misdemeanor offense punishable by law. The offending smoker could face community service, a fine or be required to complete a tobacco education class.
Almost as soon as the ban was passed, members of the Grandview Heights City Council said that they had no plans to enforce the law against underage smokers but that they felt it needed to be on the books in order to show fairness with retailers who could be punished for selling the products to customers under 21. Now, the council appears ready to remove the controversial portion of the ban.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that Council will take up an objection brought by Mayor Ray DeGraw at the next meeting and will likely remove the portion of the law that criminalizes underage smokers. (jj)
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