New Brighton Raises Tobacco Sales Age To 21

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- On Tuesday, New Brighton became the 36th community in Minnesota to raise the tobacco sales age to 21, the Association for Nonsmokers of Minnesota said. The city council voted unanimously for the ordinance.

New Brighton was the second community that day to pass the measure, following Wilkin County earlier Tuesday morning.

The Minnesota Department of Health says youth who have tried e-cigarettes are twice as likely to start smoking in the future than their non-smoking peers. The association also says youth e-cigarette use has increased almost 50 percent in the past three years.

Nearly 9 out of 10 adult cigarette smokers first tried smoking by age 18, according to MDH's Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey. Over 47% of high school students used tobacco products at least once in 2017, the survey said.