A group of 23 people wearing pink shirts smiling and posing in front of the Richfield Municipal Center.

On August 8, 2023, the Richfield City Council voted 3-0 to pass an ordinance that prohibits the sale of all flavored commercial tobacco products, including menthol, and caps the number of tobacco licenses at four. It is the 11th city or county in Minnesota to completely ban flavors, following closely behind its neighbors Bloomington and […]

During the last week of June 2022, twelve ANSR staff, interns, and partners traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana to share and learn at the National Conference on Tobacco or Health (NCTOH). NCTOH is the premier gathering of the United States tobacco control movement and this year’s conference had no shortage of ANSR’s leadership, innovation, and […]

July 1, 2022 Commissioner Robert M. Califf M.D. c/o Division of Dockets Management HFA-305 Food and Drug Administration 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061 Rockville, MD 20825 Re: Proposed tobacco product standard eliminating menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes Docket No. FDA-2021-N-1349 Dear Commissioner Califf, On April 28, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration […]

SAINT PAUL (6/13/2022) – Cents-off coupons and tobacco specials are a thing of the past under Saint Paul’s recently implemented commercial tobacco ordinance. An April survey found that all of Saint Paul’s tobacco retailers are complying with that part of the ordinance which went into effect on December 11, 2021. The ordinance has multiple provisions […]

SAINT PAUL (11/4/21) – On Wednesday, November 3, the Saint Paul City Council voted unanimously to prohibit the use of coupons and price promotions for commercial tobacco and vaping products. The measure is part of a comprehensive commercial tobacco ordinance that also sets a $10 minimum price for cigarette packs and standard-size cans of smokeless […]

City is 23rd Minnesota community to restrict sales of products  Columbia Heights, Minn. (10/12/2021) – The Columbia Heights City Council took a major step on Monday night to protect the health of youth and all residents from the harms of tobacco.   The City Council voted 4-0 to restrict the sale of all flavored tobacco products, […]

One of the first cities in the Twin Cities to restrict the sale of flavored tobacco products, Shoreview strengthened that policy on May 17. The City Council voted unanimously to add menthol to its restriction on selling flavored tobacco products. Shoreview restricted the sale of flavored tobacco except menthol to 21-over tobacco shops in 2016. […]

Removing menthol cigarettes from the marketplace will improve health disparities; local action and statewide funding still crucial Saint Paul – The Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota (ANSR), the state’s oldest nonprofit dedicated solely to tobacco control, applauds the Biden Administration’s decision to end the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. While the decision is long overdue, […]

Bloomington, Minn. – Always a state-wide leader in protecting youth and residents from the harms of tobacco, Bloomington City Council voted 4-2 on April 26 to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including menthol. The ordinance also provides for the official sunsetting, or end, of all tobacco licenses in the city through attrition, […]

Youth advocate testifies on Zoom call with Roseville council members.

  The Roseville City Council took a big step in protecting youth and vulnerable populations from the targeting of the tobacco industry on Feb. 8. The City Council voted unanimously to restrict the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including menthol, to adult-only tobacco stores and capped the number of those stores to the city’s […]