Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation, a coalition of 60 organizations working to reduce youth tobacco use, applauded the cities of Falcon Heights and Shoreview for voting to put their kids above tobacco industry profits. On Monday, the Shoreview City Council voted unanimously to raise the tobacco sales age to 21, becoming Minnesota’s sixth Tobacco 21 city. On Wednesday, the Falcon Heights City Council passed a two-part tobacco prevention policy aimed at protecting youth. The Falcon Heights policy restricts the sale of menthol-, fruit- and candy-flavored tobacco products to adult-only tobacco stores and raises the tobacco sales age to 21. Falcon Heights becomes the state’s seventh Tobacco 21 city and fourth to restrict the sales of all flavored tobacco products.
“Shoreview and Falcon Heights join cities across the state that are taking bold steps to protect our youth from tobacco addiction,” Molly Moilanen, Director of Public Affairs at ClearWay MinnesotaSM, and co-chair of the Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation coalition, said. “We’ve seen how e-cigarette use is exploding among Minnesota kids. Tobacco 21 and restricting flavored tobacco products are common-sense policies that will put additional barriers between young people and nicotine addiction.”
