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Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com

Published - Friday, October 13, 2006

No more single cigarette sales in St. Paul

The Associated Press

ST. PAUL— St. Paul is about to lose “loosies.”

The City Council has voted to ban the sale of single — or loose — cigarettes.

The council cited the lack of health warning labels on single smokes and said their cheapness makes them attractive to minors and the poor.

Council President Kathy Lantry proposed the ordinance after getting complaints from neighbors about the sale of loosies, which are found at some convenience stores, gas stations and liquor stores.

“I think it’s taking advantage of people,” Council President Kathy Lantry said. “It really is a way that kids start smoking.”

Other Minnesota cities have already banned the loose cigarettes, they include Brainerd, Mankato and Coon Rapids. Hennepin and other counties have similar bans.

Public health experts said the sale of single cigarettes to minors is a big concern.

“I was really shocked that the state didn’t already do this,” said Dr. Jean Forster, a community health education faculty member at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health. “Young people are extremely price-sensitive ... especially with the price of cigarettes going up because of taxes and such.”

Research indicates the sale of loosies dates to the 1930s, when Depression-era men and women couldn’t afford a full pack of cigarettes.

Anti-smoking activist Jeanne Weigum, who is president of the Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota, said the most important reason to ban the practice is that buyers need to know that cigarettes are harmful, she said.

“That’s federal law. Cigarettes that are sold have to have a warning label,” Weigum said. It’s also unsanitary, she added.

She said it appeared that the sale of loosies wasn’t very common. “We suspect it’s not very widespread.”