Parsons city commissioners on Monday voted 3-1 to eliminate exemptions in an ordinance that made it illegal for most people under 21 to buy tobacco or vaping liquid.
The change came after the request of convenience store owners to either repeal the tobacco 21 ordinance passed on April 2, 2018, or cut out the exemptions. The ordinance had made exceptions for customers who were in the military and could show military ID and to those who were 18 when the ordinance was approved.
Convenience store representatives said it was too difficult during busy periods such as the lunch rush to determine if a person was grandfathered into the law.
“It makes a place to where human error can happen,” Cami Raschen, an owner of Stockyards Travel Plaza, said.
Without the exemptions, the cashiers just have to punch the birth date of a customer into the cash register, which then will either allow or disallow the sale based on the person’s age.
Commissioners Kevin Cruse and Peter Cook had said they were in favor of repealing the law altogether, but Commissioners Tom Shaw and Bill Hogelin were set against a repeal. Cruse eventually voted in favor of the changes, saying he only did so only to make it easier on the stores. He said he would continue to push for a repeal of tobacco 21.
(Read more: Parsons Sun)