Hermantown, Minn. Raises Tobacco Purchasing Age to 21

The Hermantown City Council voted unanimously in favor of raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21-years-old at its Nov. 5 meeting, adding to the list of more than a dozen cities in the state to join the Tobacco 21 movement.

The increase also applies to vaping products and tobacco alternatives, such as e-cigarettes.

Hermantown becomes at least the 13th city in Minnesota to enact such an increase, joining Minneapolis, Edina, Bloomington, St. Louis Park, Plymouth, North Mankato, Minnetonka, St. Peter, Richfield, Roseville, Shoreview and Falcon Heights. It’s also the first city in what’s referred to as the Northland part of the state to pass such an increase. A bill has also been introduced in the state legislature to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco to 21-years-old, though it has not progressed out of its first committee hearing.

The increase goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2019. It will not affect the possession or use of such products by persons between 18 and 21-years-old, as such language was removed from the original proposal.

Hermantown is a suburb of Duluth, Minn., and has a population of just over 9,500 residents.

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 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.