Ohio lawmakers have gone power mad, as they continue their march to prove they are uninterested in allowing families, doctors, schools or even local governments to make their own decisions. In their most recent override of one of Gov. Mike DeWine’s vetoes, legislators flexed their muscles to keep local governments from being able to regulate tobacco in their own communities.

DeWine had rightly criticized the Home Rule-violating measure, pointing out it helps the tobacco companies and keeps communities from deciding how they want to protect their kids from poisons such as flavored tobacco or vaping products.

So why in the world would lawmakers — many of whom give themselves the label of the party that is supposed to be for smaller government — want to take away communities’ ability to restrict tobacco products targeting kids?

Money.

Restricting such sales would affect state income, lawmakers say. There is no thought, it seems, as to whether restrictions might decrease health-care costs in the long run.

“Taking local control away from the people who are trying to improve public health is a big mistake,” Leo Almeida, government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said of the override.

Further proof of lawmakers’ motivation lies in their rejection of DeWine’s contention that if lawmakers are interested simply in uniformity of tobacco regulation, they should implement a statewide ban on flavored tobacco products.

Judging by the two recent veto overrides and other ideas some of them have pitched, this crop of lawmakers hasn’t bothered to hide their desire to keep anyone else from calling the shots. It’s enough to make voters wonder whether the political ideal of personal freedom and accountability has gone up in smoke.