The city council in Grandview Heights has approved a revised ordinance that bans the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products by anyone younger than 21.
Council on Monday agreed to remove a provision that said an underage user who possessed tobacco products could be found guilty of an unclassified misdemeanor, a low-level offense.
The state's legal age for smoking is 18.
Mayor Ray DeGraw had objected to criminalizing possession, saying that it would be problematic to enforce because Grandview is surrounded by other cities with differing ordinances.
The ordinance bans the sale of liquid nicotine, hookahs, electronic smoking devices and tobacco-related products to anyone under 21. It takes effect in 30 days.
