Eagan Council Tightens Tobacco Ordinance Restrictions

On Tuesday, the Eagan City Council voted to close a loophole in the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act that allows customers to test products at tobacco shops, hookah lounges and other similar retailers.

The practice, called tobacco sampling, was previously allowed under the statewide Clean Indoor Air Act, which otherwise prohibits smoking in most public places. The legislation, implemented in 2007 and otherwise known as the Freedom to Breathe Act, sought to mitigate the effects of second-hand smoke in public places.

The council voted unanimously to pass an ordinance amendment prohibiting indoor tobacco sampling in the city, effectively banning hookah lounges in the city.

Although Eagan is home to several tobacco shops, Assistant City Administrator Dianne Miller told the council on Tuesday night that no retailers in the city currently practice tobacco sampling.