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Murray County amends tobacco retail ordinance after public-health testimony; board keeps clerk age at 18
Summary
Southwest Health and Human Services urged restoring definitions and tighter rules to protect youth; the board accepted most technical recommendations but voted to keep the minimum clerk age at 18 and adopted the amended ordinance.
Representatives from Southwest Health and Human Services told the Murray County Board that restoring certain definitions and tightening enforcement language in the county lcohol-and-tobacco ordinance would better protect youth. Janet Stevenson, representing Southwest Health and Human Services public health, urged the board to reinstate a blunt-wraps definition and to ban promotions and discounts that make tobacco products more accessible to minors.
Maria Talsma, a public-health educator with Southwest Health and Human Services, recommended broadening the ordinance—ompliance-and-inspection language beyond a county-only enforcement model so local police departments could conduct checks and help close enforcement gaps. She also urged the board to include nicotine-free vaping products, nicotine pouches and minimum-price language for cigars to reduce youth appeal.
The presenters emphasized two enforcement-related changes: language clarifying which agencies may perform retailer compliance checks and an educational or instructional program for licensees found in violation. "By removing the blunt-wrap definition, you are opening [an enforcement] gap," Talsma said, arguing that flavored wraps are often used by youth to conceal cannabis or other products.
Board members questioned how staffing constraints in a rural area might affect an option to require clerks to be 21 instead of 18. Several commissioners said that requiring 21-year-old clerks could be difficult for convenience stores and gas stations that regularly employ younger workers. "It's hard enough to find help," one commissioner said, asking whether raising the clerk minimum would harm local businesses.
After discussion, the board voted to incorporate most of the public-health recommendations (restating definitions, adding certain product categories and clarifying penalties and training) but rejected changing the clerk minimum age to 21, leaving it at 18. The board then voted to adopt the amended ordinance in its entirety.
The ordinance update also retains an administrative-penalty structure and a training provision for licensees; staff said trainings are available through regional public-health resources. The board closed the public hearing after thanking the presenters.
