Tobacco Documents Online

iN~§t~tN prd99 hhobkLYN fjOk, MN?;54~ ' ' • ) 8a7 -58511,11,, ;;, : (al2 TH:,' •C!'3AI?3A33EN VILLA:;c.ii ' CHANtjASSEN, fQN ir- rura-~ ` w~ MARCH- 1-90 . o5 ij -7--P_~ acco display debate smokes Restrictions 1. tabled by city By David Pedersen The merchandisin industr re- y g `' stated its opposition to stronger re- ~' strictions. " on tobacco displays in Chanhassen at the city council meet- : ing on Monday, but the issue will be held over until March 26. Ihe council tabled its decision on the new ordinance, which would `. effecxively take tobacco products out of the hands of customers, store them out of reach, and require store clerks ;; topersonally hand them to buyers at s the check-out. Y' - ' Merchants and representatives r from the Minnesota Grocer's Asso- ciation stated that while the ordi- . nance claims to keep children from. stealing cigarettes there is no'docu- , ~. ' mented evidence that shoplifting of cigarettes is a problem, or that the new law will help dissuade kids from smoking. "You're really going after the store merchants," said Joel Hoiland, ; president of the Minnesota Grocer's Association. "You're placing a se- vere burden on the retailers, and really doing nothing to address the whole issue of adolescents and smoking." The council has given prelimi- nary approval to the ordinance based on its power to protect the "health, safety, and general welfare" of its residents. Council member Jay Johnson, who proposed the ordinance $fter the council banned cigarette vending machines, has criticized the merchandising of tobacco: Hoi.land said that the new legisla- tion that makes it a gross misde= meanor to sell tobacco products to people under age 18 - punishable by a$3,000"fine and a year in jail - is substantial enough for merchants. He said that if the city wants to place more penalties, they should be lob- bying for penalties on the kids who buy cigarettes. He suggested that driver's licenses could be taken away - "Kids cherish their mobility." Mayor Don Chmiel noted that such a penalty wouldn't address chi]- dren younger than 16, who don't have driver's licenses. • "I don't -want to see our kids criminalized," said council member Ursula Dimler, who stated that as a parent, she is aware that there is a problem with kids stealingcigarettes. Dimler suggested that the tobacco industry was behind the opposition to the ordinance, because it pays for the up-front displays in stores. Council member Bill Boyt said he also was not interested in further criminalizing the use of tobacco by kids. "I think the bigger problem is that the police won't pick them up anyway," he said, urging the mer- chants to work for the grocer's asso- ciation to work on a plan to better control the point of sale. Council member Johnson said the ordinance is supposed to "define what responsible merchandising is." He praised Tom Thumb and PDQ con- venience stores (neither are currently located in Chanhassen) for basically meeting the proposed ordinance. "Here are two merchants that are doing it," he said. Hoiland replied that those deci- sions were made voluntarily, and suggested that the city could simply ask retailers to consider placing the , products behind the counter. Council member Tom Workman , called tobacco displays "a pretty sacred cow," and conveyed that the grocer's association might be the perfect group to tell the tobacco industry that it's not interested in selling cigarettes anymore. A series of merchants spoke out against the ordinance, emphasizing that shoplifting of tobacco is not a problem, and that putting the prod- ucts behind the counter would in some cases require massive recon- struction and result in profit losses. "We feel it's necessary for us to operate in a manner that we can be competitive," said Dennis Carison, director of operations for Brooks Superettes. He said that in 15 years ' with the company, he knows of no minors who have been caught steal- ing cigarettes, but that the company would definitely prosecute any who did. Mike Jung, manager of the Brooks Superette in Chanhassen, said that an attempt was made last week by two boys to buy cigarettes, but the clerk refused. Jung said the boys admitted that someone had given them $5 apiece to try to buy cigarettes. Jung said he felt that the issue had become a personal issue between himself and council member Johnson. TIMN 351980