BRUNSWICK, Ohio — The City of Brunswick is working to get a grasp on where flavored vape or smoke shops are located within its city limits.
The city originally planned on requiring those businesses to need a “tobacco retail license”, but that has been paused. It comes after state lawmakers overturned Governor Mike DeWine's veto of a bill stopping local governments from banning flavored tobacco sales in January.
There are more than five vape and smoke shops within a five-mile radius of each other in Brunswick. For Vice Mayor and Brunswick City Council President, Nicholas Hanek, that’s one too many, too close.
“We have never seen so many vape shops pop up everywhere, it’s kind of unbelievable,” said Hanek.
While vape or smoke shops and the sale of tobacco products are legal, Hanek fears shops are illegally selling to underage users. Since 2019 in Ohio, tobacco users must be 21 years old.
“We have an epidemic of children that are vaping in the State of Ohio,” Hanek said.
To prevent underage tobacco sales Brunswick City Council created an ordinance to require vape shops to need a “tobacco retail license” through the Medina County Health Department. The ordinance was quickly tabled when state lawmakers overturned DeWine's veto. Due to legal uncertainties, Brunswick is now pivoting towards a zoning approach. The new legislation would require new vape or smoke shops to open away from places like schools, churches, and playgrounds. These shops would also not be allowed to open 1,000 feet of an existing store.
“In order to make sure we don’t have 50 vape shops on every corner, we are taking a zoning approach,” Hanek said. “Meaning that ones have to be a distance from another shop and where is the best place for a shop.”
Despite Brunswick and Medina County's challenges with implementing such a license, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health already has a tobacco retailer license program called Tobacco 21. Earlier this year, the City of South Euclid became the 11th city in Cuyahoga County to join the program.
“Then they do regular inspections, similar to how they do restaurant inspections, to make sure retailers are following the rules of only selling to individuals over 21, keeping everything behind the counter, etc.,” said Michael Love, Planning and Development Director for the City of South Euclid.
One Brunswick resident, Steve Suchlin, feels too many resources are being focused on tobacco.
“People have been hurting themselves forever anyway and nobody seems to care,” said Suchlin. “Have what you want if that’s what you want you’re allowed it’s not illegal.”
