Are Nicotine Pouches Legal in Ohio? (2026)

Instrument

Definitions; sale to persons under 21; remote sales need age verification

Source

https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2927.02

Retrieved

2026-11-06

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R.C. 2927.02(A)(2)(a), (A)(7), (A)(8)
(2)(a) “Alternative nicotine product” means, subject to division (A)(2)(b) of this section, an electronic smoking device, vapor product, or any other product or device that consists of or contains nicotine that can be ingested into the body by any means, including, but not limited to, chewing, smoking, absorbing, dissolving, or inhaling.
(7) "Tobacco product" means any product that is made or derived from tobacco or that contains any form of nicotine, if it is intended for human consumption or is likely to be consumed, whether smoked, heated, chewed, absorbed, dissolved, inhaled, or ingested by any other means, including, but not limited to, a cigarette, an electronic smoking device, a cigar, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, snuff, or snus. "Tobacco product" also means any component or accessory used in the consumption of a tobacco product, such as filters, rolling papers, pipes, blunt or hemp wraps, and liquids used in electronic smoking devices, whether or not they contain nicotine. "Tobacco product" does not include any product that is a drug, device, or combination product, as those terms are defined or described in 21 U.S.C. 321 and 353(g).
 (8) "Vapor product" means a product, other than a cigarette or other tobacco product as defined in Chapter 5743. of the Revised Code, that contains or is made or derived from nicotine and that is intended and marketed for human consumption, including by smoking, inhaling, snorting, or sniffing. "Vapor product" includes any component, part, or additive that is intended for use in an electronic smoking device, a mechanical heating element, battery, or electronic circuit and is used to deliver the product. "Vapor product" does not include any product that is a drug, device, or combination product, as those terms are defined or described in 21 U.S.C. 321 and 353(g). "Vapor product" includes any product containing nicotine, regardless of concentration.

R.C. 2927.02(B)(1), (B)(6)
(B) No manufacturer, producer, distributor, wholesaler, or retailer of cigarettes, other tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, or papers used to roll cigarettes, no agent, employee, or representative of a manufacturer, producer, distributor, wholesaler, or retailer of cigarettes, other tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, or papers used to roll cigarettes, and no other person shall do any of the following:
 (1) Give, sell, or otherwise distribute cigarettes, other tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, or papers used to roll cigarettes:
 (a) To any person under twenty-one years of age; or
 (b) Without first verifying proof of age.
(6) Give, sell, or otherwise distribute alternative nicotine products, papers used to roll cigarettes, or tobacco products other than cigarettes over the internet or through another remote method without age verification;