The legislation was proposed at the end of 2018 by Councilman John Litten and follows similar moves by 21 other communities across the state that have raised the smoking age, including Cleveland and Akron.
A big part of the reason Lakewood City Council adopted this measure is thanks to the rise in popularity of e-cigarettes, especially among young people.
“I’m ecstatic that my colleagues and the administration were thoughtful enough to help get this passed,” Litten told Cleveland.com. “It’s gone through a rigorous set of committee meetings to make sure it’s the right fit, the right thing for Lakewood.
Business owners who are now caught selling cigs to people under 21 will first receive a written warning, followed by subsequent fines of $250, $500 and $1,000.
Sign up for Scene’s weekly newsletters to get the latest on Cleveland news, things to do and places to eat delivered right to your inbox.
This article appears in Mar 27 – Apr 2, 2019.
This is a blatant restriction of individual rights.
The reason they gave for passing this law is that 18-20 year olds are not sensible to make their own decision on whether to use tobacco or not. These same social justice policy meddlers are the ones saying 16 year olds should vote.
Can’t smoke, can’t drink, can’t drive…what’s next…outlawing sex? No fun being a teen anymore.
A seldom considered flip side of the issue, if in fact that if we no longer consider 18 to be adult age, why have they not changed the age of the draft ? If they can be ordered into military service at 18 years of age, how can we justifiably tell them they cant smoke, drink, or purchase a firearm. Make up your minds at what age they are adults, or change the draft age to match.