Cheap vapes could vanish under proposed Minneapolis rule
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Any vape pen or e-cigarette sold in Minneapolis could soon cost at least $25 under new pricing requirements city leaders are considering.
Why it matters: The proposed ordinance is meant to curb vaping among teens and young adults.
- One in seven Minnesota high schoolers had vaped within the previous 30 days, according to one 2023 survey — and roughly half of those users reported vaping frequently.
Driving the news: A Minneapolis City Council committee voted Tuesday to advance the proposed pricing minimum ordinance, which would also ban new tobacco shops within 300 feet of K-12 schools.
- Existing tobacco shops would be allowed to continue operating.
What they're saying: "My generation was supposed to be the generation to end smoking, and instead we became the JUUL generation," 28-year-old Council Member Aurin Chowdhury, who co-authored the proposal, said at Tuesday's meeting.
- Chowdhury added her testimony to a dozen other supporters who spoke at Tuesday's hearing. Chowdhury said she picked up a vape pen nine years ago, and has struggled with nicotine use ever since.
Catch up quick: The city enacted a $15-per-pack minimum for cigarettes and other tobacco products last year, but those rules left out vape products.
Between the lines: City officials report e-cigarettes currently retail for as little as $8.99 in Minneapolis, and scholarly research has found starter vape kits sell for as cheap as $4.99.
The other side: Angie and Jesse Griffith, co-owners of a local retail chain that sells vaping products, told the council they worry the ordinance could have unintended consequences that would drive vape users toward combustible tobacco products that "we all want to discourage."
- They believe the ordinance could be misconstrued to apply the pricing minimum to component parts of "open" vaping systems, like batteries, tanks and chargers.
- City staff said the proposal was targeted at nicotine products, but the Griffiths said the ordinance might apply to a refillable vape pen intended for cannabis products, like THC or CBD.
Zoom out: Minnesota's 95% tax on the wholesale price of tobacco already applies to vaping products and e-cigarettes.
What's next: The full council must vote on the proposal, which could happen as soon as July 10.