If you were planning on opening up a cigar store in Cedar City, Utah in the near future, you’ll have to put your plans on hold, as the city council has enacted a six-month moratorium on any new tobacco specialty stores opening.

The cause of the issue isn’t cigar stores, however, or even tobacco retailers. A report in IronCountyToday.com places the blame on electronic cigarette and vaping devices and the retailers who sell them. The city currently has 33 such retailers,  and the council along with the Iron County Prevention Coalition feel that the abundance of such stores is leading to those products getting into the hands of minors.

Additionally, the Iron County Health Department is considering just how to regulate e-cigarettes and similar devices that could have an impact on how retailers will have to be in compliance with yet-to-be-determined guidelines.

Cedar City is home to just under 30,000 residents and is located in the southwest corner of the state, 250 miles south of Salt Lake City and 180 miles north of Las Vegas.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.