Governor Mike DeWine signed the state's $69 billion budget on Thursday and it includes raising the age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21.
“We’ve really seen quite the explosion of Tobacco 21 laws across the country,” explains American Lung Association Director of National Policy, Thomas Carr.
“Close to 95 percent of smokers start smoking before the age of 21, time has come.”
Carr says Ohio joins 18 other states and Washington, D.C. in making the change.
Some tobacco shop owners are concerned about what it could mean for business but Smoke Oasis Owner, “Zou Zou” Chaine has a different perspective.
“I actually have no problem with it but it should’ve been done before because if they were trying to help the teenagers not to smoke, you can not have areas around Cleveland still selling at 18 years old,” he says.
Chaine’s two locations are in Cleveland. The city raised the minimum age to 21 back in 2016 and he says customers would go to surrounding suburbs.
“A lot of people came in they don’t know about the law and they were like 18, 19, even 20 and I lost business because I can not sell them,” he says.
According to the American Lung Association, nearly 95 percent of adult smokers report trying their first cigarette before the age of 21.
“It’s time and it makes sense especially being the most deadly product in America,” says Carr.