Weakened tobacco ordinance passes

After deleting several portions of the tobacco ordinance that passed in December, the Carlton County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a reduced version of the ordinance with a May 1 enforcement date.

The ban on the sale of all tobacco products, flavored and unflavored, and on vaping products to anyone below the age of 21 remains.

Language included in past drafts to restrict sales of all flavored tobacco products was omitted completely.

Chairman Marv Bodie said there had been enough discussion on the ordinance and there was no need to see a revised copy of the changes before the board vote.

“I was the one who tried to address teenage vaping use issues,” said commissioner Gary Peterson in a phone interview after the vote. “Many of the local vendors have quit the sale of vaping products voluntarily. I am satisfied with the present tobacco ordinance passed by the board. It falls in line with other counties and cities who have passed a Tobacco 21 ordinance.”

Health and Human Services director Dave Lee and county coordinator Dennis Genereau said they were directed by the county board to address high-risk behaviors in our local population that leads to rising cost of local health care. Smoking, they said, is a leading cause and the use of flavored tobacco products is of even greater concern.

In other matters Monday, commissioner Gary Peterson has been chosen to be the Association of Municipalities and Counties representative on the new Minnesota Department of Natural Rersources wolf plan advisory committee.

“We selected committee members to represent a range of perspectives on wolves,” said Dan Stark, DNR wolf management specialist. “We expect committee members to work constructively to identify issues, discuss differences, and explore options for enhancing wolf conservation in Minnesota.”

Editor's note: This story was corrected to reflect the fact that the board elected to allow all flavored tobacco products in its revised resolution.