On Tuesday night, the Newton City Commission approved an ordinance that will raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21-years-old as of Jan. 1, 2020.

It’s a milestone for what is known as the Tobacco 21 movement, as Newton becomes the 500th city in the nation to adopt such legislation, according to Ginny Chadwick, western regional director of Tobacco 21, a national advocacy group.

The increase will apply to all tobacco products as well as e-cigarettes. Additionally, tobacco retailers will be required to obtain a license to continue selling tobacco products for each of their retail locations. The license comes with an annual fee of $400, the revenues from which will be designated to offset the city’s costs of administering the ordinance and conducting compliance checks.

Newton is home to just under 19,000 residents and is located 25 miles north of Wichita and

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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 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.