On March 5, Senate Bill (SB) 72, a bill to allow Ohioans to buy, possess, and discharge 1.4G fireworks on their own property or others’ property with permission was introduced for consideration by Senator Dave Burke (R-Marysville, OH).
- Allow Ohioans to require sellers to give safety pamphlets to buyers
- Impose a 4% fee on top of sales taxes to fund firefighter training and fireworks regulation
- Set up a 15-member Ohio fire code rule recommendation committee to make fireworks regulations recommendations to the State Fire Marshal by Monday, September 30
- Extend the long-standing moratorium on licenses to manufacture and sell fireworks to Wednesday, December 15, 2021
- Allow counties, cities, and some townships to either ban fireworks or restrict the times and dates that consumers can discharge fireworks.
The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians opposes this legislation because simply stated, legalization of fireworks correlates with increases in fireworks-related injuries. In addition, fireworks discharge poses additional risks to veterans who suffer from PTSD, animals, and livestock who are easily frightened by noise, and damage resulting from fires started by negligent discharge of consumer fireworks.
In letters to Governor DeWine and all 132 members of the Ohio General Assembly, OAFP President Stan Anderson, MD, stated, “Many proponents of legalization argue that we should allow fireworks discharge because ‘everyone already does it.’ This is an incredibly weak and dangerous argument. While some Ohioans choose to disregard the prohibition on fireworks discharge, the same can be said for speed limits, distracted driving, and other dangerous actions. No member of the Ohio General Assembly would support a bill that eliminated speed limits or DUI laws because some individuals currently choose to drive fast or drive drunk.”
The OAFP, a member of the Ohio Fireworks Safety Coalition, continues to convey the message to stakeholders that fireworks discharge is a dangerous activity and public safety concern and should be treated as such.