St. Paul considering $10 minimum price for cigarette packs

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

The St. Paul City Council is expected to consider the proposed ordinance during a city council meeting scheduled for Wednesday, according to records on the council's website.

The legislation would bar sellers from selling cigarette packs and chewing tobacco for less than $10 before taxes, according to its text. The legislation would also ban retailers from selling tobacco products with coupons, promotional deals or other discounts.

The bill also creates separate licenses for shops that strictly sell tobacco and decrease the number of those licenses from 242 to 150. The total number of Tobacco Product shops in the city will not exceed 25

According to Pioneer Press, there are currently 190 active licenses.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/st-paul-considering-10-minimum-price-for-cigarette-packs/ar-AAPcEfy

[fescuerescue]

1. Tobacco companies would love that extra profit

So would the shareholders.

[keithbvadu2]

2. Remember the old days? If cigs go to $1 a pack, I'm going to quit.

Remember the old days? If cigs go to $1 a pack, I'm going to quit.

[Iggo]

6. LOL...Yep.

[FakeNoose]

7. You know what? That's when I did quit

I was never fully committed to smoking anyway. Glad to have a reason for quitting.

[SCantiGOP]

3. I'm surprised there are still smokers

after Covid, how could anyone continue to smoke knowing that we were all one bad luck day away from being in an ICU gasping for breath?

[StarryNite]

4. It often turns out to be a long, painful, expensive suicide.

[Act_of_Reparation]

8. Right? It's almost like they're fucking addictive.

[Jose Garcia]

5. Sounds like an ordinance written by lobbyists for Minneapolis convenience stores

[SCantiGOP]

9. They've come a long way in 80 years

When my Dad was overseas in WW2, everyone got a free carton of Lucky Strikes each week. Incredibly smart, cost effective marketing scheme. Not only did it make them seem like patriotic supporters of the war effort, but they sent home a few million life-long tobacco addicts.
I can remember the first time I was on an airplane as a kid, and every adult was offered a cute little pack of 4 cigarettes for the flight. I think they were Winstons, which was the best selling brand in the 50s until the rugged Marlboro man pushed his brand to the front.