Smokers in Minneapolis will have to start shelling out significantly more for their habit as the City Council passed a substantial amendment to its commercial tobacco ordinance, making a pack of cigarettes among the priciest in the United States. Authored by Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw, this ordinance aims to shield youths and marginalized communities from the tobacco industry's grip. With increased prices, forbidden discounts, and sterner penalties for policy violators now in place, Minneapolis takes a stand for public health.

Vetaw said, "These changes will protect youth and communities of color from tobacco industry targeting. Tobacco is still the leading cause of death, and I am proud that our city is taking this important public health step," as per Minneapolis' official news release. The amendments include setting a steep minimum price of $15 per pack for cigarettes, axing deals and coupons for tobacco products, and closing the sampling loophole for new shops—moves to deliberately reduce consumption and to start aggressively discouraging tobacco initiation among the young.

The tobacco industry's pricing strategies have historically targeted low-income neighborhoods and the youth, with one-third of adult smokers using tobacco coupons or price slashes. "As a health department, we are concerned about the leading cause of preventable death in Minnesota – tobacco," said Deputy Commissioner Heidi Ritchie, according to the Minneapolis City of Lakes. "We know that young adult nonsmokers in Minnesota who receive tobacco coupons are twice as likely to become smokers," she revealed, shedding light on the slippery slope from promotional discounts to tobacco dependence.

Statistically, a 10% price hike can decrease adult smoking by 3-5% and youth smoking by a more significant 6-7%. The ordinance echoes these statistics by placing a substantial burden on the cost of smoking, a shift that anticipates not only a drop in consumption but also surges in quitline calls and quit attempts—promising trends for public health outcomes. A study noted that a state-level rise in cigarette minimum price by $2 could cut consumption by 15.9%, a figure Mayor Frey finds promising. "Council Member Vetaw has been a tireless public health advocate in Minneapolis for years," he said. "This ordinance prioritizes the health and well-being of our residents, and I'm proud to stand alongside her in supporting its passage."