Edina Becomes 1st Minn. City To Raise Tobacco Sale Age
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Twin Cities suburb became the first city in Minnesota to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products Tuesday night.
In a unanimous vote, the Edina City Council raised the age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21 years old. The new ordinance applies to all tobacco, including cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarettes.
Cheers from local advocates who pushed for Tobacco 21 sounded as Edina's City Council voted to become the first in Minnesota to require tobacco buyers be 21.
The Mayor of Edina leaned on data given to the city that showed raising the age from 18 to 21 would reduce the number of teens becoming addicted to tobacco - and said taking a stand on this issue was the right thing to do.
Supporters believe the city took a step in the right direction for future generations.
The ordinance will go into effect 60 days from today on July 1. Several other states across the country have passed similar ordinances. It went into effect statewide in California and Hawaii last year.