The Campaign to End Tobacco Targeting, made up of community groups, public health advocacy organizations and faith institutions from around the city, is seeking to end the sale of flavored tobacco products in Cleveland. This includes sweet, candy flavored e-cigarettes and menthol cigarettes that have been used by the tobacco industry as an effective and intentional means of getting children and vulnerable communities addicted to nicotine.
There are thousands of flavors such as bubblegum, cherry dynamite, popcorn and blueberry ice — which are addicting a new generation of kids to nicotine on the market. Meanwhile, menthol has a devastating impact on youth initiation of tobacco use and is a significant cause of health disparities and preventable death in the Black community. For decades, tobacco companies have targeted specific communities with marketing for menthol cigarettes, especially Black, Latino and LGTBQ communities.
The City of Cleveland has a proud history of acting in support of public health. In April 2025, Cleveland City Council passed a comprehensive package of four laws that will increase oversight and enforcement of tobacco sales across the city. We applaud the passage of these laws and thank city leadership for taking this important step to protect the health of Clevelanders.
Unfortunately, our work is not done. We still need to pass a law to end the sale of flavored tobacco in the city of Cleveland. Such a law would not prohibit possession or use of such products and would be enforced by Cleveland Public Health rather than law enforcement. With the passage of the recent tobacco legislation, we have the momentum. The time to act is now. Let’s finish the work we started and protect the lives of Clevelanders.
15%
of of all Ohio youth are currently using some form of tobacco
81%
of youth who have ever used tobacco initiated with a flavored product
60%
of Cleveland adults who use tobacco currently use menthol cigarettes or another flavored products
~ 2/3
of youth tobacco users report using tobacco products "because they come in flavors I like"
Cleveland City Council Cracks Down on Smoke Shops with Sweeping New Regulations
Cleveland City Council
Litigation: Columbus v. Ohio
Public Health Law Center
Appeals court rules Ohio’s ban on local flavored tobacco bans unconstitutional
Statehouse News Bureau
Tobacco companies continue to aggressively market menthol-flavored cigarettes to kids, African Americans, Latinos and other demographic groups as they have for decades.
Academy of Medicine of Cleveland & Northern Ohio
ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Cancer Society - Cancer Action Network
American Heart Association
American Lung Association
Asian Services in Action (ASIA), Inc.
A Vision of Change
Better Health Partnership
Birthing Beautiful Communities
Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids
Care Alliance Health Center
Case Western Reserve University Comprehensive Cancer Center
Center for Black Health and Equity
Center for Health Affairs
Center for Community Solutions
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Office of Minority Health
Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority
First Year Cleveland
Healthy Cleveland BreatheFree Committee
Hospice of the Western Reserve
LGBT Community Center Greater Cleveland
Major League Barbershop
MetroHealth
Midtown Cleveland Inc.
Minority Health Alliance
Mt. Sinai Health Foundation
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) – Cleveland Branch
National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. Greater Cleveland Chapter
National Institute for African American Health
National LGBT Cancer Network
Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition
Northeast Ohio Neighborhood Health Services, Inc.
Ohio Hospital Association
Ohio Mayor’s Alliance
Ohio Public Health Association
Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation
Parents Against Vaping E-Cigarettes
PFLAG Cleveland
Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation
See You at the Top (SYATT)
Signature Health
Slavic Village Community Development Corporation
The African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council
The Gathering Place
The Urban Barber Association
University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital
University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center
Urban League of Greater Cleveland
Young Latino Network
YWCA Greater Cleveland
