Holmes County audits stores on tobacco marketing to curb youth use
Millersburg holds 56% of Holmes County tobacco retailers, and audits are checking whether store ads, displays and price promos are reaching kids.
Holmes County health officials have been auditing local stores for tobacco and nicotine marketing, focusing on advertising, product placement and price promotions inside retailers across the county. The reviews focus on convenience stores, supermarkets and gas stations.
The Holmes County General Health District has tied the store checks to its broader prevention work, which includes coalitions, trainings and support for schools and local organizations. Youth exposure to retail marketing can normalize tobacco use and encourage initiation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says tobacco advertising and promotion influences young people to start using tobacco, and Truth Initiative defines point-of-sale marketing as product displays, exterior and interior ads, and promotional or price incentives in the retail environment.
Ohio youth data show electronic vapor products are the most used tobacco product among young people in the state. In Holmes and Wayne counties, 17.7% of youth who used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days said they bought them from a store. Young people most often see or hear tobacco promotions in convenience stores, supermarkets or gas stations.
Millersburg holds 56% of Holmes County’s tobacco retailers. Most county tobacco sellers are convenience stores, at 52%, followed by discount stores at 20%.
Holmes County also tracked retailer compliance. Between December 2024 and April 2025, the county conducted 20 compliance checks at its 25 tobacco retailers, and 15 stores complied, a 75.0% compliance rate. One in four retail stores sold to a minor under age 21 during that period. A March 11, 2026 update showed 18 stores checked and 16 complying, for an 88.9% rate.
Ohio has banned sales of tobacco or vaping products to anyone under 21 since Oct. 17, 2019. A fall 2024 update added a requirement that retailers verify photo identification for anyone who appears under 30. Holmes County’s tobacco and nicotine work is coordinated by Tobacco Cessation Coordinator Kelly Dremann.
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