On Tuesday night, the Edina City Council joined a growing list of cities and counties banning the sale of flavored tobacco products, unanimously approving an ordinance that will go into effect on Sept. 1, 2020.

The ordinance is fairly simple, adding a new definition for flavored tobacco products:

Flavored tobacco product means any tobacco, tobacco-related product, or tobacco-related device that contains a taste or smell, other than the taste or smell of tobacco, that is distinguishable by an ordinary consumer either prior to or during consumption or use of the product or device, including, but not limited to, any taste or smell relating to menthol, mint, wintergreen, chocolate, cocoa, vanilla, honey, fruit, or any candy, dessert, alcoholic beverage, herb or spice. A public statement or claim, whether express or implied, made or disseminated by a manufacturer of the product or device, or by any person authorized or permitted by the manufacturer to make or disseminate public statements concerning such products, that a product has or produces a taste or smell other than tobacco will constitute presumptive evidence that the product is a flavored tobacco product.

It then adds a line to the city code that “no person shall sell or offer for sale any flavored tobacco products.”

Edina joins 15 other cities to ban flavored tobacco products, and 10 other cities who have banned menthol. It is also notable for being the first city to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21-years-old, doing so in May 2017.

Edina is located approximately five miles southwest of downtown Minneapolis. It has a population of nearly 53,000 people.

Overall Score

Avatar photo

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.