Flavored nicotine products have devastating effects
Our elected state legislators did the unthinkable. On Dec. 14, 2023, Ohio GOP lawmakers decided to add a provision to a bill to prevent any community in Ohio from regulating vaping, smoking, and other nicotine product use and sales.
The city of Columbus had just passed a menthol and flavor ban. There were community meetings to hear testimony from both sides. I was asked to testify at several of them. One was so contentious that several Columbus police officers asked to escort me to my car.
Columbus passed the ban but legislators were working with tobacco lobbyists on a bill. This bill would not only undo Columbus’s ban on menthol and flavored products but unravel any policy like tobacco-free schools around the state. Gov. DeWine vetoed the bill. As Gov. DeWine vetoed the bill, he said,” When a local community wants to decide to ban these flavors to protect their children, we should applaud those decisions.”
The final version of the FY 2023-25 budget passed. Lawmakers, once again, snuck a provision to outlaw communities from regulating nicotine products. On July 4,2023, DeWine vetoed the tobacco regulation ban provision. On Dec. 13, Ohio Legislators overrode his veto.
Why did state legislators do this? I think I know. Ohio’s total state tobacco revenue was $1.2 billion dollars last year. Ohio spent $14.8 million state-wide on adult cessation and youth prevention efforts. How much did the tobacco industry spend in Ohio to market what will ultimately kill 50% of its users? They spent $429.8 million. Well over $1 million a day.
The evidence is clear. Over 81% of youth who use tobacco products begin by using a flavored product. In Ohio, over 20% of high school students use e-cigarettes, many of which have high levels of nicotine.
On a recent visit to a vape shop in Dayton, I found a disposable vape that had 25,000 puffs. That is the equivalent of 125 packs of cigarettes. There have been multiple elementary students caught with these products. Middle and high school administrators struggle to address this epidemic. Moreover, this is a social justice issue. There are up to 10 times as many tobacco advertisements in West Dayton and Trotwood stores than in Centerville and Kettering. Black Americans, youth and the LGBTQ+ community are bombarded with menthol cigarette ads.
So what should Dayton and Montgomery County do about this? The first step is to help our community truly understand the devastation of menthol and flavored nicotine products and the impact it has on vulnerable communities. Sinclair College
will host the Regional Menthol Prevention Summit on May 16. Three leading authorities on menthol products will speak. The event is free and open to the public. To register, visit eventbrite.com and search for the summit.
Join us on May 16 to show you care for our children. There is no other single action the administration can take that would do more to advance health equity.