Starting January 1 of next year, the sale of flavored tobacco products will no longer be allowed in the city of Minneapolis anywhere outside of adult-only specialty tobacco shops, with the exception of menthol, mint, and wintergreen flavored tobacco. The flavor ban does, however, extend to e-cigarettes and e-liquid.

The ordinance also sets a minimum price for single cigars at $2.60 each, making it more difficult for price-sensitive youth to buy these products, which are currently often sold for less than a dollar. Packs of  two or three cigars must also be sold for a minimum of $2.60, and the minimum price for a packs of four cigars will be $10.40. This is a big win for reducing youth access and youth tobacco use.

Youth activist groups played a role in educating council members about the tobacco industry’s tactics that target young people, including through the use of sweet, cheap flavored tobacco.

Minneapolis follows Chicago, Providence, and New York City in implementing bans on flavored tobacco products, and a bill to ban flavored tobacco products, including menthol, within 500 ft of schools has recently been introduced in Baltimore. Learn more about and find resources for implementing policies that restrict flavored tobacco and set a minimum price for tobacco products in your community.

Check out the Association for Nonsmokers- MN’s  video about the ordinance and how youth took a stand for it here: