The City hereby adopts the Minnesota Legislature's finding, as stated in Minn. Stat. 144.391, that: (1) smoking causes premature death, disability, and chronic disease, including cancer and heart disease, and lung disease; (2) smoking related diseases result in excess medical care costs; and (3) smoking initiation occurs primarily in adolescence. The City also adopts the legislature's desire to prevent young people from starting to smoke, to encourage and assist smokers to quit, and to promote clean indoor air. The City recognizes that the sale of tobacco-related products to persons under the age of twenty-one (21) violates both state and federal law. Because the City recognizes that many persons under the age of twenty-one (21) years purchase or otherwise obtain, possess, and use tobacco, tobacco products, tobacco related devices, electronic delivery devices, and nicotine or lobelia deliver products and that such sales, possession, and use are violations of State and Federal laws; and pursuant to the mandates contained in state and federal law this ordinance is intended to regulate the sale, possession, and use of tobacco, tobacco products, tobacco related devices, electronic delivery devices, and nicotine or lobelia delivery products for the purpose of enforcing and furthering existing laws and state mandates, and to protect the public against the serious effects associated with the use of tobacco, tobacco products, tobacco related devices, electronic delivery devices, and nicotine or lobelia delivery products. The purpose of this ordinance is to reduce the appeal to youth and young adults and reduce the likelihood that youth and young adults will become users of tobacco-related products later in life, thereby promoting health, safety, and welfare. (Ord. 2016-01, 1-5-2016; amd. Ord. 2022-001, 3-15-2022)