St. Paul city council to vote on new restrictive tobacco ordinance Wednesday

Shannon Brault, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·3 min read

Oct. 26—The St. Paul City Council will vote on an anti-tobacco ordinance Wednesday that would set a $10 minimum price for packs of cigarettes, create two classifications of tobacco retail licenses, ban tobacco from being sold in liquor stores and ban coupons and price promotions on all products containing tobacco.

The proposed ordinance is part of an ongoing effort to keep tobacco away from young people and vulnerable groups, but without an opportunity to speak front of the city council, business owners and their advocates feel like they have been shut out of the process and conversation.

The Coalition of Neighborhood Retailers held a press conference Wednesday at Tobasi Tobacco to share their concerns that this new ordinance would increase crime and shutter small businesses. Martha Njolomole, an economist with the Center of the American Experiment, spoke and cited research that suggests similar ordinances increase illegal smuggling, gang and organized crime activities.

"This is bad not only for St. Paul, it's bad for its businesses," Njolomole said Wednesday. "It's bad for its police forces who are already over weighed by recent crime. It's bad for smokers who have to pay high prices for tobacco and one of the things that I have found is that smokers tend to be lower income people."

Vernon Crowe at Selby Wine and Spirits said that if cigarettes become unavailable at local stores, people will get them from other sources. He encouraged the city council to focus on the plethora of issues plaguing the community.

The ordinance has been in the works for almost two years, but some people in St. Paul were just hearing about it for the first time in the parking lot of Tobasi Tobacco. A concerned customer and community member walked up to the press conference and asked what was being discussed.

"Why come in our neighborhood and disrupt us and take away what we need?," he asked of the ordinance.

The St. Paul City Council held a public hearing — it was virtual due to the pandemic — on Wednesday for about seven minutes that consisted of a conversation between council members regarding letters written to the council either for or against this new ordinance. City Council President Amy Brendmoen clarified that the minimum price is $10 per pack rather than $15, which was written in some letters. She said that $10 is close to the average price already.

"I'm just not on board with using something that we know kills people and is highly addictive as a way to lure people into your store," Brendmoen said during the meeting. "Get me a good samosa, get me some pizza, get me some bubble tea. I'll get in there."

The Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota is not only doing work "that is keeping people healthier, but they are building a coalition for this work," council member Jane Prince said. "This isn't the council deciding to do something. This is a coalition of our community organizations, of youth, of the religious community, business, healthcare community that is coming to us asking us to respect this healthcare policy."

The lack of awareness in the communities this would be affecting is still stark, said Bruce Nustad, Minnesota Retailers Association president.

"Where we are today feels like a policy without a conversation, a policy without a discussion, a policy that leaves retailers and consumers in a tough spot," he said. "We encourage and hope the city council will take a step back, take a moment to engage in a conversation with retailers on this public policy."