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Tobacco Enforcement

New online portal
 

COMING SOON: New e-filing system for tobacco product manufacturers

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office is pleased to announce plans to introduce an online certification-filing system for tobacco product manufacturers: the OHCig Certification Portal.

This new tool is intended to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the certification processes. Although there are likely to be questions and unexpected challenges the first time that manufacturers use the portal, we are confident that those companies will quickly come to appreciate the resulting time savings and workflow improvements.

The OHCig Certification Portal will be introduced in two stages, based on company type:

  • Participating Manufacturers (PMs) will begin using the system for the 2025 annual certification cycle. The portal is expected to be available no later than April 1.
  • Non-Participating Manufacturers (NPMs) will begin using the system for the 2026 annual certification cycle but may be asked to begin using the system for quarterly certifications earlier than 2026.

The attorney general’s Tobacco Enforcement Unit will reach out to all PMs early in 2025 to ensure proper access to the system and to facilitate a smooth rollout. Once online certification filing is available for a group of companies, no other filing method will be accepted.

Please check this page regularly for more information as the portal rollout nears.


About the AGO’s Tobacco Enforcement Unit

To be sold legally in Ohio, cigarette and roll-your-own tobacco brand families must be listed on the Attorney General’s Tobacco Directory, which is maintained by the Tobacco Enforcement Unit of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

The Tobacco Enforcement Unit also:

  • Works with the Ohio Department of Taxation to enforce Ohio’s Qualifying Statute under the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, the terms of the agreement, and the consent decree.  
  • Represents the Ohio Department of Health in matters relating to Ohio’s ban on indoor smoking.

For inquiries regarding tobacco enforcement, please email the Tobacco Enforcement Unit at TobaccoEnforcement@OhioAGO.gov, or call 614-387-5600.