Appeals court strikes down state law banning local regulation of tobacco

A state appeals court last week struck down as unconstitutional a state law prohibiting local governments from regulating tobacco products as a “blatant disregard” of cities’ home-rule authority (Source: “State law barring local regulation of tobacco struck down,” Toledo Blade, July 8).
 
The decision sides with Gov. Mike DeWine, who had twice vetoed the language only to see fellow Republicans in the General Assembly override his second veto.
 
Several other cities across the state came to the defense of Columbus, whose ordinance banning flavored tobacco triggered the 2023 law.
 
An all-Democrat, three-judge panel of the 10th District Court of Appeals in Columbus unanimously agreed with the cities and upheld a permanent injunction issued by Franklin County Common Pleas Court to bar enforcement of the law.