The Hastings, Minn. City Council is scheduled to vote Monday night on a proposal to prohibit smoking in all tobacco shops, though it would maintain an allowance for the use of electronic cigarettes.

This would be a departure from Minnesota state law, which currently allows for smoking inside of tobacco shops for the specific purpose of sampling products. However, the Minnesota Department of Health has determined that the sampling provision does not allow for smoking lounges. There is however a provision allowing smoking in private places, which includes private clubs. Before the vote, the council will hear public comment from those wishing to voice their feelings on the issue.

The city of Hastings is located about 30 miles southeast of Minneapolis and has just over 22,000 residents. While there are no IPCPR member cigar shops in the city, it is home to a shop called Hastings Tobacco, which sells an assortment of tobacco products, including cigars. Ibrahim Aqel of Hastings Tobacco was the only person to comment when the proposal was sent to tobacco stores in the city, with his comments stating that banning e-cigarette sampling would hurt his business. When he was assured that e-cigarette sampling would not be banned, he indicated he had no other objections to the proposal.

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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.