The Cincinnati City Council voted 5-3 in favor of raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco in the city from 18 to 21-years-old.
In addition, the new ordinance will also increase the number of compliance checks conducted by the Cincinnati Health Department. Funding for the increased compliance monitoring will come from a $200,000 grant from Interact for Health and a new $500 tobacco retailer license.
Cincinnati becomes the 15th city in Ohio to raise the tobacco purchasing age to 21. It now means that four out of the five largest cities in the state—Akron, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati—have raised the minimum purchasing age to 21. Toledo is the lone exception.