Waseca, Minn. to Raise Tobacco Purchasing Age to 21

A proposal to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco and tobacco alternative products received the narrow approval of the Waseca City Council on Tuesday, as the council voted 4-3 in favor of the increase.

While an effective date was not included in the ordinance posted for review, a report from KEYC.com indicates that the increase is scheduled to go into effect in three months, which would be around March 18, 2019. Retailers will be given the time to update signage and train staff on the new requirement. As with the current law, anyone who sells or gives away tobacco products to a person under 21-years-old will face a misdemeanor charge.

Minnesota now has more than 20 cities and municipalities that have passed increases that have become known as Tobacco 21 ordinances, including Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Mendota Heights, Brooklyn Center and Hermantown. Pope County just passed a similar increase earlier this month, as did Eden Prairie.

Waseca is home to an estimated 9,000 residents and is located approximately 75 miles south of Minneapolis.

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.