Prior Lake, Minn. Bans Smoking in Lounges, Exempts E-Cigarettes

It’s now illegal to light up your cigar in a lounge in the Minneapolis suburb of Prior Lake, but if it’s an electronic cigarette, you’re good to go.

The City Council approved a handful of rules changes on Monday, including an ordinance that prohibits smoking lounges, unless they are exclusively used for e-cigarettes. The council also approved an ordinance that requires all businesses selling tobacco and tobacco-related products to obtain a separate license according to the Prior Lake American.

The ordinance continues to allow the sampling of cigars in cigar stores, though the spirit of the law is that customers won’t smoke the whole cigar in the store under the auspice of sampling. Smoking a cigar is legal in tobacco stores in Minnesota under the guise of sampling and in private lounges that do not sell tobacco. The Minnesota Freedom to Breathe Act of 2007 allows for municipalities to impose further restrictions, which is what Prior Lake has done.

The final ordinance has not yet been posted, but discussion can be found here in minutes from the council’s April 13 meeting.

Prior Lake is located about 20 miles southwest of Minneapolis and is home to just under 25,000 residents.