Health officials and students urge limits on flavored tobacco and more school support during joint session

Hennepin County Public Health and the Tobacco Free Alliance told a joint Brooklyn Park–Osseo work session that flavored tobacco and e‑cigarette products remain a major driver of youth nicotine use and that local policy tools could reduce access.

Jackie Stewart of Hennepin County Public Health said the presentation would show local data and possible policy responses. “We are going to be talking about the problem of commercial tobacco,” she said, and summarized a 2024 retailer assessment that surveyed retailers countywide and identified 44 retailers in Brooklyn Park carrying flavored products.

Alicia Dean Les of Tobacco Free Alliance said the tobacco industry’s marketing keeps flavored products widely available and attractive to young people. “Flavor products play a major role in driving youth use and worsening health disparities in targeted communities,” she said, noting that flavored e‑cigarettes, menthol products and oral nicotine pouches are commonly used by Minnesota teens.

Presenters showed examples of current products — including discreet “stealth” devices and oral nicotine pouches — and warned that nicotine concentrations have risen. The presenters said some devices can contain nicotine amounts comparable to large quantities of cigarettes and emphasized that nicotine is a neurotoxin for adolescents: “No amount of nicotine is safe for them,” Alicia Dean Les told the meeting.

Student school‑board representative Naomi Cooper described easy access near her school and urged more rehabilitative support for students who use nicotine. “We do have a gas station and a tobacco store right next to our school that literally sell vapes all the time,” Naomi said, and asked the council and district to prioritize counseling and rehabilitation over suspension when possible.

Osseo staff described school‑based responses, including counseling, student support groups and pilot education modules for first‑time nicotine offenses. A school counselor present described outreach efforts and a tabling event where students provided anonymous responses about vaping that the presenters circulated to the meeting.

Presenters outlined local policy options the city could consider: ending the sale of all flavored tobacco products without exemptions, setting minimum prices and pack sizes, capping retailer licenses and establishing minimum distances between retailers and youth‑oriented facilities. They also recommended stronger enforcement penalties and layered prevention strategies that pair policy with education and cessation supports.

City members asked for comparative data on retailer density and for follow‑up materials. Presenters said they would provide the assessment slides and additional data on density and cigarette‑use trends.

The session closed the tobacco segment with mutual agreement to continue the conversation and to share the local assessment and sample materials for schools, with the district and city identifying staff to follow up.