HealthlineNews: Is 18 Too Young to Buy Tobacco Products? Some States Think So.

California is on the verge of joining other states in raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco, sparking more debate about what privileges and responsibilities fall on young adults.

How old should you be to purchase tobacco?

Some legislative leaders in the United States apparently think 18 is too young.

On Friday, Hawaii’s governor signed a bill raising the minimum age to buy tobacco to 21. The law takes effect next year.

Four states — Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey, and Utah — have raised the minimum age to buy tobacco to 19, while some local municipalities have raised it to 21.

And, earlier this month, the California State Senate overwhelmingly voted to increase the age at which a person can buy tobacco products from 18 to 21. The bill still needs Assembly approval and the governor’s signature.

The goal is to further limit access to tobacco products to young smokers. The move is backed by several health groups, including the American Cancer Society and the California Medical Association.

Dr. Jack Jacoub, an oncologist and director of thoracic oncology at the Memorial Care Cancer Institute at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, says with decades of data available, it’s clear the age increase is a sound move to prevent people from starting lifelong habits.

“It’s still a risk factor for a host of different cancers, not just lung cancer,” he said. “If you separate the legal aspect of it, it makes the most sense to raise the minimum age to 21.”

A Measure Aimed at Delaying the Start

A study by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published in March found that increasing the minimum legal age to 21 would likely prevent or delay when people would begin smoking, specifically children aged 15 to 17.

About 90 percent of smokers now start before 19 years old, so the argument is the 21-year minimum would reduce teens’ access to tobacco because it’s unlikely they would be in the same social circle as people old enough to purchase tobacco.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t have the authority to raise the legal smoking age to 21, so it’s an issue that must be dealt with at the state level. The federal government, however, does have a law that withholds federal highway funds to states that don’t have their minimum drinking age at 21.

The town of Needham, Massachusetts, raised its smoking age to 21 in 2005. Over the next decade, teenage rates of smoking dropped from 13 to 7 percent, according to the Education Development Center, which conducted the study.

In California, smoking has been banned in enclosed workspaces since 1995, and smoking in a vehicle with a minor has been illegal since 2008. This was done to prevent exposure to secondhand smoke, but the new proposed law would affect young smokers directly.

“The group where smokers usually start is the highest impact group,” Jacoub said. “I don’t know of anyone who would be against it.”

A handful of trade groups, such as the Cigar Association of America and the California Retailers Association, oppose the change on the grounds that Americans are considered adults under the eyes of the law, so that’s also when they should have the right to make their own decisions.

Personal choice is the crux of the argument the tobacco industry uses when opposing stricter legislation.

This new legislation has lit up an ongoing debate over when a person is considered a legal adult and what that entails.

When Are Americans Adults?

When the federal drinking age was pushed back from 18 to 21 in 1984, it was backed by health concerns, mainly the high rate at which minors were being killed in traffic accidents while under the influence.

Research shows the parts of the brain most responsible for decision-making, impulse control, sensation seeking, and susceptibility to peer pressure are still developing and changing between the ages of 18 and 21. The IOM study notes, “Adolescent brains are uniquely vulnerable to the effects of nicotine.”

Jamie Miller, a political consultant and e-cigarette lobbyist from Florida, likened the California legislation to the change in voting age in 1971 when young men were being drafted to serve in Vietnam.

The thought was that men and women old enough to serve in the armed forces should be able to vote for the people who decide to go to war.

“We’re looking at the unintended consequences of passing laws under public pressure at the moment. I personally believe we, as a society, made a mistake when we changed the Constitution to allow those who are 18 to vote just so we could draft those who are 18,” he said.

Saying he believes the fewer people who have access to addictive substances the better, Miller also says there needs to be some kind of uniformity to when young people are considered adults.

“If the age to drink and smoke is 21, we should change the draft and voting age to 21 as well,” he said. “In other words, full, legal adulthood would be 21.”

http://www.healthline.com/health-news/some-states-think-18-is-too-young-to-buy-tobacco-products-062015#5

The Sacremento Bee: California cigarette tax backers commit $2 million

BY JEREMY B. WHITE

Hoping to influence a special health care budget session, a coalition of labor and medical groups has put $2 million into an initiative to raise California’s tobacco tax and use the revenue to fund health care for low-income Californians.

The money flowed from a coalition of groups that include SEIU California State Council – a union umbrella group whose members include thousands of health care workers – the California Medical Association, the California Dental Association, the American Cancer Society and groups promoting heart and lung health.

Their twin ballot initiatives would impose a $2-per-pack tax on cigarettes to fund health programs that include smoking prevention and Medi-Cal, California’s health insurance program for low-income residents.

The money is another move in an ongoing political fight over Medi-Cal reimbursement rates.

A similar coalition of medical and labor groups has pushed to have California increase how much it pays doctors and other providers, saying existing rates are making it hard to obtain health care. Some of the cigarette tax revenue would flow into a new fund that could be used to augment Medi-Cal provider rates.

“We are serious about increasing these rates and improving access and keeping California healthy,” said Laphonza Butler, president of SEIU California.

Proponents have yet to decide which ballot measure they would pursue – one of the two would tax electronic cigarettes – but they will be able to begin collecting signatures soon.

A Senate bill to boost the tax cleared committees but still awaits a floor vote, a dubious proposition given that it would need votes from Republicans unlikely to back a new tax. Outside groups often float ballot initiatives as a way to pressure legislators: pass the bill or we will go directly to voters.

“We strongly support securing a legislative remedy that’s in the best interest of Californians, but we are ready and willing to go to the ballot if necessary,” said Mike Roth, a spokesman for the campaign.

The $2 million announcement coincides with Gov. Jerry Brown convening lawmakers for a special budget session to deal with Medi-Cal’s finances. It is “yet to be determined” if an agreement to raise reimbursement rates would lead the coalition to drop the tobacco tax initiatives, Roth said.

Advocates have lost the tax fight at the ballot before, in 2006 and most recently in 2012, after being vastly outspent by a tobacco industry intent on defeating Proposition 29.

Tobacco companies donated tens of thousands of dollars directly to lawmakers last election cycle. The Legislature is considering a number of tobacco-related bills this year: one would raise the age to purchase tobacco to 21; one would treat e-cigarettes like conventional cigarettes; and another would ban major-league baseball players from chewing tobacco at California ballparks.

http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article25118476.html#storylink=cpy

AP: House bill aims for less e-cigarette regulation

WASHINGTON — House Republicans are pushing to ease proposed government regulations for companies that sell e-cigarettes and other new tobacco products, a move that Democrats charge could lead to unsafe products on the market.

A spending bill approved by a House subcommittee Thursday would prevent the Food and Drug Administration from requiring pre-market reviews of e-cigarettes that already are on the market.

As part of a broader rule regulating e-cigarettes for the first time, the agency has proposed that e-cigarette brands marketed since February 2007 undergo those pre-market reviews retroactively once the final rule is approved. Companies would have to submit the applications within two years of the final rule, and then the FDA would ensure that the product is “appropriate for the protection of the public health.” If not, the agency could take it off the market.

In addition to e-cigarettes, the FDA rules and the House legislation would apply to other unregulated tobacco products such as cigars, hookahs, nicotine gels, waterpipe tobacco and dissolvable tobacco products. The FDA already regulates cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and roll-your-own tobacco products.

Republicans said the pre-market review would be a lengthy and expensive process that could drive companies out of business. Alabama Republican Rep. Robert Aderholt, who sponsored the bill, said the provision is just a technical change that would keep the newer products under FDA oversight but allow them to be regulated in the same way as older tobacco products. The legislation would not affect the FDA’s proposal to ban the sales of the products to minors and would still allow certain product standards.

Public health groups said the legislation would hamper the FDA’s ability to prevent tobacco companies from marketing the new products to kids, and Democrats said before the panel’s vote that the change would reduce regulation on the industry at the same time that e-cigarette use is skyrocketing.

The bill “is nothing short of a giveaway to the tobacco industry,” said New York Rep. Nita Lowey, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee.

FDA’s proposed rules, expected to be finalized in the coming months, are aimed at eventually taming the fast-growing e-cigarette industry.

E-cigarettes are plastic or metal tubes, usually the size of a cigarette, that heat a liquid nicotine solution instead of burning tobacco. That creates vapor the user inhales.

The nicotine-infused vapor of e-cigarettes looks like smoke but doesn’t contain all of the chemicals, tar or odor of regular cigarettes. Some smokers use e-cigarettes as a way to quit smoking tobacco, or to cut down. However, there’s not much scientific evidence showing e-cigarettes help smokers quit or smoke less, and it’s unclear how safe they are.

Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said the House language could keep products on the market that appear to be targeted to children, like cigars and e-cigarettes in a variety of candy and fruit flavors.

Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, said the FDA regulations could hurt small businesses.

“This proposal does not remove the FDA’s ability to regulate vapor products,” Conley said. “The FDA will still have the full authority to make science-based regulatory decisions on the manufacturing, marketing and sale of these products.”

The FDA would not comment on the legislation, but FDA spokesman Michael Felberbaum said the rules are important consumer protections.

“When finalized, the rule will represent a significant first step in the agency’s ability to effectively regulate tobacco products and, as we learn more about these products, the agency will have additional opportunities over the long term to make a positive difference in the public health burden of tobacco use in this country,” Felberbaum said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-bill-aims-for-less-e-cigarette-regulation/

MINNPOST: Proposed Minneapolis tobacco licensing changes will help curb youth smoking

By Jan Malcolm | 06/19/15

Imagine a future when tobacco is no longer the leading cause of preventable death and disease. To make this vision a reality, we must prevent more young people from getting hooked by deadly tobacco products. The Minneapolis City Council is poised to do just that by considering changes to the licensing ordinance to restrict the sale of all flavored tobacco (other than menthol) to adult-only tobacco stores and set minimum price limits for cigars. These measures strike at the heart of the tobacco industry’s strategy to sell their products to kids: flavoring and price.

While Big Tobacco is supposed to be prohibited from marketing to kids, it finds many ways around that ban. Tobacco executives know that unless they get to kids before they reach their 20s they’ve lost a customer. Documents released during the tobacco trials of the 1990s reveal how deliberately tobacco companies target young people. On the witness stand, the chairman of the Liggett & Myers Tobacco Co. said, “If you are really and truly not going to sell to children, you are going to be out of business in 30 years.” A Lorillard executive wrote that he wanted to exchange research data with Life Savers to figure out what tastes kids want. And a marketing plan from U.S. Smokeless Tobacco showed a deliberate strategy to start users on sweet flavors, then “graduate” them to plain tobacco.

Candy and fruit flavors

The appeal of flavoring to young people is the reason the FDA banned cigarettes in flavors other than menthol in 2009. Unfortunately, products such as little cigars, cigarillos, chew, e-cigarettes and others are still widely available in candy and fruit flavors such as bubble gum, grape and gummy bear – flavors that clearly appeal to youth. These flavored products are for sale in more than 250 stores throughout Minneapolis alone, and they are easy for children to purchase. One-third of Minneapolis boys under 18 report buying tobacco from a convenience store or gas station.

Research shows that young people mistakenly believe that flavored tobacco products are less dangerous than other tobacco products. In fact, they are just as dangerous, with the same health risks of cancer, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Candy and fruit flavored tobacco products just mask the harsh taste and feel of tobacco.

Nearly 20 percent of Minnesota high school students have tried a water pipe or hookah, and almost all shisha (hookah tobacco) is flavored. More than 25 percent of Minnesota high school students have used an e-cigarette, and most e-cigarette liquid is flavored. More than 35 percent of Minnesota high school students report that they have tried flavored cigars, cigarillos or little cigars at some point in their lives. In fact, kids are now twice as likely as older people to be cigar smokers. Almost 20 percent of Minneapolis 12th-graders say they smoke cigar products like cigarillos regularly.

Young people known to be price sensitive

Nearly 75 percent of Minneapolis tobacco retailers currently sell cigars and cigarillos, many for less than a dollar. The proposed changes to our city’s tobacco licensing ordinance would set a minimum price of $2.60 for each cigar. Research shows that young people are very sensitive to price increases and are more likely to just quit using a product they can’t afford than adults are.

Flavored tobacco restrictions and price minimum requirements have been successfully implemented in other communities around the country – and right here in Minnesota. No one wants our young people to face a lifetime of addiction and other health problems. We know that policies that restrict access to flavored tobacco and raise tobacco prices keep kids from starting to smoke and help them to quit.

Support the proposed changes to the Minneapolis tobacco licensing ordinance. Stand up for our kids against Big Tobacco.

Jan Malcolm is the vice president of public affairs for Allina Health. She served as Minnesota state health commissioner from 1999 to 2003. Malcolm lives in Minneapolis.

https://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2015/06/proposed-minneapolis-tobacco-licensing-changes-will-help-curb-youth-smoking

Forum editorial: ND law is clear on e-cigs

It’s been stressed before, but in light of the growing use of e-cigarettes by youth and adults, it should be stressed again: All the prohibitions, bans and restrictions on the use of tobacco in North Dakota apply to e-cigarettes and related electronic devices used for “vaping.” The law, which won voter approval in every county in the state less than three years ago, is clear.

Steve Stark, Fargo Forum

Steve Stark, Fargo Forum

There seems to be either a misunderstand-ing or a purposeful manipulation of North Dakota law among fans of e-cigs and vaping. Aided and abetted by a sophisticated industry, the peddlers and promoters of electronic smoking are trying to characterize their habit as nonsmoking, nonaddicting and an effective means to get off tobacco. But the stealth agenda seems to be more about convincing the public that electronic nicotine delivery systems are harmless, indeed beneficial.

Don’t buy it.

It’s no accident e-cigs have gone from nondescript tubes to smartly produced designer accessories, like a watch or a purse or a switchblade. It also should come as no surprise that big tobacco has jumped into the e-cig market with both dirty feet, including airing TV spots designed to convince that use of the nicotine delivery tubes is sexy, fashionable and safe. Nor should anyone be shocked that marketing strategies feature brightly colored e-cigs and appealing vaporized flavors. In advertising at least, the lies that brought us the Marlboro Man are not dead, even if the Marlboro man is.

North Dakota law does not prohibit the sale and use of e-cigarettes by adults. But just like tobacco products, e-cigs are banned in all places where smoking is not allowed under the law. It’s not complicated. E-cig and vaping aficionados who believe smoking ban laws don’t apply to them should be called out and, if necessary, fined.

Forum editorials represent the opinion of Forum management and the newspaper’s Editorial Board.

http://www.inforum.com/opinion/editorials/3768165-forum-editorial-nd-law-clear-e-cigs

Devils Lake Park Board: Tobacco use policy to be drawn up

The Devils Lake Park Board is one step closer to solidifying guidelines for the use of tobacco products at its outdoor facilities.

By Harry Lipsiea, Devils Lake Journal Reporter

The Devils Lake Park Board is one step closer to solidifying guidelines for the use of tobacco products at its outdoor facilities.

At Monday’s regularly-scheduled meeting, the board voted unanimously to have director Terry Wallace write up a proposed policy and present it to the board for its approval.

Last month, Liz Bonney, Ramsey County Tobacco Prevention Coordinator with Lake Region District Health, brought the idea of a policy to limit areas in which tobacco products could be used at city parks.

The board looked at models currently placed in communities throughout the state of North Dakota. Ultimately, one seemed to jump out to board members as a policy that could fit well in Devils Lake.

“I like what Williston has done with its policy,” board member Kale Stromme stated. “It’s pretty cut and dry specifically when it talks about banning cigarettes in any area where youth are playing.”

The board agreed noting that the policy should include a ban of tobacco products near playground equipment. The board also felt that at baseball and softball diamonds, tobacco will be off limits during youth activities.

The only concern about such a policy was how to enforce the rules.

“There is no way to police the use of tobacco products at the park 100 percent of the time,” Bonney stated.

She pointed out that the policy would inform the public of rules in place. Bonney feels signage, to potentially be provided by Lake Region District Health, would be extremely beneficial.

“I don’t expect anyone to be out there at all times and stop what they are doing if they see someone smoking. That’s not realistic,” Bonney added. “This is a self-policing policy. I think the public will be compliant once they know there are guidelines in place.”

The board then voted for Wallace to form a policy similar to the one in Williston. It is expected to be presented for board approval at a future meeting.

In other business, the park board looked over an initial agreement proposal for the Creel Bay Golf Course. The golf course committee is set meet to go over items on a one-on-one basis later this week.

Also, the newly-added viewing area at the Mike Dosch Memorial Pool has been a hit, manager David Kerlin told the board.

“We have a gotten a lot of positive comments on it,” he stated.

http://www.devilslakejournal.com/article/20150616/NEWS/150619231

Reuters: Half of deaths from 12 common cancers directly linked to cigarette use

By Lisa Rapaport / Reuters Media

Roughly half of deaths from 12 smoking-related cancers may be linked directly to cigarette use, a U.S. study estimates.
While the largest proportion of deaths associated with smoking were for cancers of the lung, bronchus, trachea and larynx, about half of fatalities from tumors of the oral cavity, esophagus and bladder were also tied to cigarettes, the study found.
“The bottom line is that while we’ve made a lot of progress against the tobacco epidemic in the United States, there’s still much work to do,” lead study author Rebecca Siegel, a researcher at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, said by email.
Siegel and colleagues estimated that out of 345,962 cancer deaths in 2011 among U.S. adults 35 and older, 167,805 were associated with smoking.
To estimate the proportion of cancer deaths attributable to smoking, the researchers used a standard formula to calculate the fraction of cases of specific cancer types that would not have occurred if there were no smoking.
Then they analyzed data from national surveys and in-person interviews asking people about their health history and tobacco habits. They adjusted their estimates to account for age, race, education level and alcohol use.
Based on smoking habits in the population and the proportion of cancer cases attributable to smoking, the researchers estimated that 125,799 lung, bronchus and trachea cancer deaths, representing 80 percent of the total, were linked to smoking. So were 50 percent of deaths from esophagus tumors and 45 percent of deaths from bladder malignancies.
The researchers also credit smoking with 17 percent of kidney cancer deaths, 20 percent of stomach cancer deaths, 22 percent of cervical cancer deaths and 24 percent of liver and bile duct cancer deaths in 2011.
One limitation of the study is that the survey and interview participants were generally more educated and less racially diverse than the U.S. population as a whole, the researchers acknowledge in JAMA Internal Medicine.
It’s also possible, however, that they underestimated cancer deaths tied to smoking because they didn’t have data on second-hand smoke exposure, which may cause an additional 5 percent of lung cancer deaths, or on use of cigars, pipes, or smokeless tobacco.
“While smoking prevalence continues to slowly decline, the use of alternative tobacco products is on the rise,” Siegel said.
Use of combustible forms of tobacco other than cigarettes, such as cigars and hookahs, doubled from the equivalent of 15.2 billion cigarettes in 2000 to the equivalent of 33.8 billion cigarettes in 2011, Siegel said.
“Although we can’t know exactly how many people are not starting to smoke cigarettes because they are using other tobacco products, e-cigarettes are now the most common form of tobacco use among high school students,” Siegel said.
Evidence doesn’t suggest that people who use alternative tobacco products are more likely to quit smoking or avoid starting on cigarettes, Dr. Michael Ong, author of a tobacco cessation editorial accompanying the study, said by email.
If there’s an upside to alternatives, though, it may be seen in the declining proportion of lung cancer deaths attributable to cigarettes, said Ong, a researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles and the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles HealthCare System.
“But most of all lung cancer deaths are still attributable to smoking, and lung cancer makes up the largest cause of cancer-related mortality,” he said.
In an indication of the uphill battle smoking cessation can be, another study also published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that clinicians simply asking patients to quit and advising them of the lung cancer risks isn’t enough motivation to make it more likely that patients successfully quit.
Researchers followed more than 3,000 smokers for one year after lung cancer screenings to see if the amount of cessation support they received from clinicians might influence their odds of quitting.
The smokers who received assistance such as referrals to counseling or prescriptions for smoking-cessation drugs were 40 percent more likely to quit, while those who received follow-up care to monitor their progress were 46 percent more likely to stop smoking.
“Smokers face physical, environmental and social barriers to quitting,” lead study author Elyse Park, a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said by email. “Primary care providers can assist smokers, particularly smokers with a heavy smoking history, to boost their confidence and obtain the counseling and medication support that can help them improve their odds of successful quitting.”
http://www.inforum.com/news/3766802-half-deaths-12-common-cancers-directly-linked-cigarette-use

E-cig shop fails smoke-free compliance check

By Anne Millerbernd, Fargo Forum

FARGO – One of five Fargo businesses failed a smoke-free law compliance check Thursday.

Fargo police checked the shops to ensure that electronic cigarettes weren’t being used in a prohibited area, and E-Cig Empire at 4900 13th Ave. S. failed, according to a release from Fargo Cass Public Health.

It’s the second time the business has failed a compliance probe within 12 months. A report was sent to the Cass County State’s Attorney’s office for consideration of charges.

People who smoke in prohibited areas can be fined up to $50. Business owners who fail to comply can be fined up to $100 on the first violation, $200 the second time and up to $500 each time after within the same year. A business owner could also lose his or her permit or license.

The state’s smoke-free law includes vaping and Fargo police conduct compliance checks quarterly or on a need basis.

http://www.inforum.com/news/3766136-e-cig-shop-fails-smoke-free-compliance-check

Cases of kids poisoned by e-cigs increasing in Minnesota

By Andy Rathbun / St. Paul Pioneer Press
Minnesota has seen a jump in the number of children poisoned by e-cigarettes and their liquid refillables, the Minnesota Department of Health said Wednesday.
From 2013 to 2014, the number of e-cigarette and e-liquid poisonings among Minnesota children 5 and younger rose 35 percent — the second year the Minnesota Poison Control System has seen a significant increase of nicotine poisonings related to e-cigarette products, the health department said in a news release. Poisonings from these products rose from three in 2012 to 62 in 2014.
E-cigarette products can contain a fatal amount of nicotine for a child, and about half of the cases last year were treated at emergency departments. Children can confuse the products, which are often flavored, with a candy or drink, the department of health said.
In January, a new state law took effect requiring child-resistant packaging for e-liquid products.
“This past year Minnesota took a big step to keep kids from accidently ingesting these potentially fatal e-liquids,” Minnesota Health Commissioner Ed Ehlinger said in a statement. “But parents should still use caution and store the products out of the reach of children.”
The symptoms that can result from nicotine poisoning include nausea, seizures, diarrhea, vomiting and difficulty breathing.
The department of health issued a nicotine heath advisory Wednesday that also warns teens and pregnant women of possible nicotine effects.
The drug can harm brain development during adolescence and harm fetal brain and lung development, the department said.
http://www.inforum.com/news/3763762-cases-kids-poisoned-e-cigs-increasing-minnesota

Star Tribune: Mpls. considers restrictions on flavored tobacco products

By Eric Roper Star Tribune

The sale of flavored cigars in convenience stores could soon come to an end in Minneapolis, where city officials are mulling the state’s first ban on the products at most traditional locations to curb youth tobacco use.

Anti-smoking advocates and small retailers squared off at a packed City Council hearing Monday over a proposal that would restrict sales of flavored tobacco products from more than 300 allowed locations to just under two dozen specialty tobacco shops. Similar bans have been enacted in New York City and Providence, R.I.

A council committee delayed a vote on the proposal, which targets flavored cigars, smokeless tobacco, shisha for hookahs and e-cigarette juice — but excludes menthol flavors. It would also set a minimum price on all cigars at $2.60 — echoing measures passed in Bloomington, St. Paul, Maplewood and Brooklyn Center.

Supporters said low-cost flavored cigars, sold under brands like White Owl and Swisher Sweets, are especially harmful because they entice young people to start smoking. A recent study of 530 underage youth in north Minneapolis found that more than half of the 313 who had used tobacco reported at one point smoking a cigar or cigarillo.

“Luring people to an addictive product with cheap prices and candy flavors before they’re old enough to know better doesn’t … give kids much choice,” testified Latrisha Vetaw of Northpoint Health and Wellness Center. Some of the non-tobacco flavors mentioned in the ordinance include chocolate, honey and vanilla, as well as fruits, herbs and candy.

City records show that 362 businesses are currently authorized to sell tobacco products in Minneapolis, though about a quarter of them are bars that largely sell cigarettes. The proposal would limit flavored tobacco sales to approximately 21 “tobacco products shops,” which generate 90 percent of their revenue from tobacco-related sales. It also clarifies that customers must be 18 to enter those stores.

Convenience store owners at Monday’s hearing challenged the necessity of the change, noting that it is already illegal for them to sell tobacco to minors. City records show that out of more than 350 undercover compliance checks each year, only about 6 to 7 percent result in violations for selling to a minor.

They also said that restricting tobacco sales threatens one of their core revenue streams. “Forty percent of our sales in the convenience store industry comes from tobacco. … That’s the industry average: 40 percent,” said Steve Williams, owner of Bobby and Steve’s Auto World, which has several locations. “So we’re affecting the viability of a lot of convenience stores.”

Ahmad Al-Hawari, who owns four convenience stores around the city, said while flavored cigars account for less than 5 percent of their business, the change could result in lost customers.

“A customer will walk or drive to a smoke shop, buy his flavored tobacco as he wishes … and then he’s going to buy cigarettes and pop from there,” Al-Hawari said. “He’s not going to go back to the convenience store.”

The federal government banned all flavored cigarettes except for menthol in 2009, but did not apply the same restrictions to cigars. Cigars may also be sold individually, versus in packs like cigarettes, making a common price about 99 cents each, according to a city staff report.

Paul Pentel, an internist at Hennepin County Medical Center, said their low cost also makes cigars an appealing option for adults who already smoke.

“In my clinic, I am very alarmed by the number of patients I see who have switched to cheap cigars because of the cost of cigarettes,” Pentel said. “For these patients, cheap cigars are a missed opportunity to quit smoking.”

New York City banned the sale of flavored tobacco products in 2009, except for at a handful of tobacco bars. A ban in Providence, R.I., went into effect in 2013. The state of Maine has also enacted a ban on small, flavored cigars.

Four Minnesota cities have already established minimum cigar prices. The minimum is $2.10 in St. Paul and Brooklyn Center, and $2.60 in Bloomington and Maplewood, city staff said.

Council Member Blong Yang, a cosponsor of the ordinance change, said he was drawn to the issue after seeing in the recent study from Breathe Free North, a program of Northpoint, that children have too much access to flavored tobacco. It also appears to be disproportionately affecting minority communities, he said.

“Every single convenience store that you go to it seems has all this stuff right in front of people, basically,” Yang said. “And it’s screaming for people to buy it because it’s there.”

The council’s health, environment and community engagement committee is expected to vote on the measure in two weeks, with a final vote before the full council possible in July.

http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-mulls-restrictions-on-flavored-tobacco-products/306572261/