The Columbus City Council will vote this week on a ban of flavored tobacco products within city limits, a topic of significant interest for both proponents and opponents of the ban.
If we are adults, you cannot tell adults what to do or not to do," said Ben Saleh, owner of Epic Puff, a tobacco and e-cigarette shop on North Street. "This is their life.
Salih expressed his hope that the ban would not be approved, as it would lead to the forced closure of businesses.
Epic Puff opened in October. Shortly thereafter, Saleh stated that he became aware of the proposed ban.
Columbus restricted firearms and items to the liquor license.
According to Saleh, if flavored tobacco products are taken off the shelves, 80% of the store's sales will disappear. If this happens, he and other small business owners will continue to protest.
We will gather together and may consider a class-action lawsuit," he said. "Consider that if I lost $200,000 in just my investment, not to mention the landlord fees of around $200,000 for the remaining lease, imagine everyone else. We're talking about millions of people here.
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