Oct. 6, 2021 St. Paul is poised to enact some of the toughest tobacco restrictions in the nation. The City Council is introducing a new ordinance that would set a $10 minimum price on a pack of cigarettes and ban coupons and other discounts at retail outlets. City Council member Nelsie Yang said that despite legal and regulatory action, she thinks tobacco companies are still improperly targeting children, people of color and low-income communities. Besides the price regulations, the new ordinance will also gradually cut back on the number of tobacco retail licenses in the city and mandate a half-mile separation for tobacco retailers, which could further restrict outlets. Jeanne Weigum, president of the St. Paul-based Association of Nonsmokers-Minnesota, which helped draft the city's proposed ordinance, said she hopes the new ordinance will spread like St. Paul's original 2004 indoor smoking ban, and eventually find its way into state law. Subscribe to our Minnesota Today podcast to get up-to-date Minnesota news twice daily. — Tim Nelson, MPR News | 