Like many of its neighboring municipalities have done in recent weeks, Eagle County has voted in favor of raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21-years-old while sending a tax increase to voters to decide this November.

The decisions came during the Board of Commissioners’ meeting on Tuesday, with the age increase scheduled to go into effect on Nov. 1.

Meanwhile, as part of the Nov. 5 election, voters will be tasked with deciding whether or not approve a new tobacco tax that would impose an additional $4 tax on every pack of 20 cigarettes as well as a 40 percent tax on the sales price of all other tobacco and nicotine products, including premium cigars and electronic cigarettes.

Should voters approve the tax, it would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. The county says that it could generate up to $4.5 million dollars in 2020, which would be used for public health programs and education, as well as tobacco sales enforcement efforts.

Eagle County is home to approximately 55,000 residents and includes the towns of Vail and Avon. It is located approximately 130 miles west of the Denver metropolitan area.

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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, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, 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.