Cleveland City Council Tobacco related Resolution and Ordinances

The following are two pieces of legislation and one resolution that have been introduced through the Cleveland City Council Health and Human Services Committee related to the regulation of tobacco products.  In addition to information and copies of the Resolution and Ordinances, additional information is provided below that was reviewed in the last three Health and Human Service Committee hearings held on 11/16, 11/23 and 12/2/15.

Here is a status of the pieces; copies are provided below:

• Resolution No. 669-15; Tobacco Free Workforce Working Group - Resolution Declaring that the City of Cleveland will strive for a tobacco free workforce by January 2016, and establishing a working group of Council, the Jackson Administration, and community stakeholders to study employment policies of hiring only tobacco-free employees and offering smoking cessation programs to current employees.
  STATUS:  Passed out of the Health Committee, scheduled for hearing of the Council of the Whole, beginning 9:00 am, Monday December 7th, 2015.  Resolution 669-15 was first read on June 1st, 2015.
• Ordinance No. 737-15; Raise Age for Tobacco Sales and Distribution - Ordinance to amend Section 607.15 of the Codified Ordinances of Cleveland, Ohio, 1976, as amended by Ordinance No. 474-14, passed June 2, 2014, to raise the sales and distribution age from eighteen to twenty-one years for cigarettes, tobacco products and alternative nicotine products, including electronic cigarettes.
  STATUS: Passed out of the Health Committee, scheduled for hearing of the Council of the Whole, beginning 9:00 am, Monday December 7th, 2015. Resolution 737-15 was first read on June 8th, 2015.  Note: Section 4 of ordinance states: "That the amendments to Section 607.15 shall take effect sixty days after the effective date of this ordinance."  There is a consideration to increase the grace period to 90-days to allow for sufficient time for public education and awareness.


• Ordinance No. 929-15; Partial Ban of Flavored  Tobacco Products - Ordinance to supplement the Codified Ordinances of Cleveland, Ohio, 1976, by enacting new Section 607.21, to ban the sale or distribution of flavored tobacco products, except in a retail tobacco store.
  STATUS: Ordinance has not been passed out of the Health Committee and is NOT scheduled to be heard by the Council of the Whole on Monday, 12/7/2015.  The next opportunity for this legislation to be heard in Committee hearing(s) is the week of January 4th, when council returns from winter legislative recess that begins 12/8/2015.  The next potential opportunity for a vote on this ordinance is Monday, January 8th, 2016.

The above legislative status information is provided by Councilman Brian Cummins, member of the Health & Human Services Committee.  Health Committee member information can be found here.

669-15-Res-Declaring City Will Strive for Tobacco Free Workforce by Brian Cummins

737-15-Ord-Amend 607 15 Prohibit Sale of Cigarettes Etc to Children by Brian Cummins

929-15-Ord-Enact Section 607 21 Flavored Tobacco Partial Ban by Brian Cummins

Tobacco 21 HHS Hearing Final_11 23 15 by Brian Cummins