The Carbondale Board of Trustees took a drastic step in trying to reduce tobacco and nicotine use this week, banning the sale of all flavored tobacco within town limits—including menthol cigarettes and flavored chewing tobacco.

Mayor Dan Richardson called the situation a crisis, referring to a study that placed the area well above the average rates of tobacco and nicotine use among teenagers and young adults. As part of its plan to combat youth use of tobacco, the town raised the minimum age to purchase tobacco and nicotine products to 21-years-old last summer, but it felt there was still more to be done.

The ordinance went into effect immediately upon passage and publication, though the ban on flavored tobacco sales doesn’t kick in for 30 days.

Carbondale is home to approximately 6,800 residents and is located 170 miles west of Denver.

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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.