A little over three months ago, the Leavenworth, Kan. City Commission couldn’t come to an agreement as to whether or not it made sense to pursue an increase to the city’s minimum age to purchase tobacco and electronic cigarettes. Yesterday, commissioners not only pursued the increase, they passed it by a 3-2 vote.

The change of course came as other cities in the area passed age increases, specifically one in neighboring Lansing, Kan. It was then that they decided to discuss the issue again in late May, according to the Leavenworth Timeswith consensus now found to move the proposal ahead for a vote.

The change will go into effect on Sept. 1. The new law won’t change the minimum age to possess tobacco products, however; that will remain at 18-years-old.

Leavenworth is home to approximately 36,000 residents and is located 25 miles northwest of the Kansas City, Kan. and Kansas City, Mo. 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 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.