03-13-2019 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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STAFF REPORT TO: Mayor Keis and Members of the City Council FROM: Heidi Heller, City Clerk DATE: March 13, 2019 RE: Discuss Adopting a Tobacco 21 Ordinance BACKGROUND: As more metro cities are adopting ordinances to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco to 21, Staff recommends the City Council discuss whether there is interest in adopting a Tobacco 21 ordinance in Little Canada. The Council has not had any formal discussion about this to date. The concern from cities and retailers has been that the 18-20 year old buyers can simply go across the street into the next city to purchase tobacco. The cities that have raised their age limit decided that the public health benefits outweigh the loss in sales for their businesses. So far, 14 metro cities have raised the legal age for purchasing tobacco to 21, including the adjacent cities of Roseville and Shoreview. This is a topic that many Minnesota cities are discussing. Some feel this is should be regulated at a State level, whereas others think the State will not pass legislation without a majority of cities/counties adopting it first. The Executive Director of the Association for Nonsmokers-MN will be at the Workshop to provide an overview of the Tobacco 21 efforts, along with a review of the status of the Tobacco 21 bill (HF 331) that is at the Legislature this session. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Discuss whether to direct Staff to move forward with an Ordinance that would raise the legal age to purchase tobacco and tobacco related products in Little Canada to age 21.