DeWine details plans to raising smoking age

Gov. Mike DeWine and his top administrators on Wednesday called for Ohio to increase the purchase age for tobacco and vape products to 21 (Source: “Gov. DeWine issues warning on vaping, wants to raise smoking age,” Dayton Daily News, April 17, 2019).

“This is a public health crisis,” DeWine said.

In his proposed two-year operating budget, DeWine included a provision to raise the tobacco purchase age, including vape materials, to 21. The current purchase age is 18, although more than 30 Ohio cities have passed local ordinances setting the age at 21.

Ohio ranks in the bottom quartile for adult smoking and children living in a household with a smoker, according to HPIO’s recently released 2019 Health Value Dashboard. Analysis of the rankings found that tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure contribute to many of Ohio’s greatest health challenges, including infant mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer and asthma.