14 DAY TRIAL // The owner of Lynden's in St. Paul, Minnesota could be facing misdemeanor charges and a $500 fine (€376) if she continues to sell candy cigarettes in her store.
The store specializes in vintage-style wrapped sweets, and the cigarette-looking items are among her best sellers.
As you can see in the picture posted above, Lynden's offered candy and bubble gum cigarettes. Another popular item in the shop was “chewing tobacco” made out of bubble gum.
They do not contain nicotine, nor are they carcinogenic, but city officials have dubbed them responsible for encouraging smoking in young people.
According to a City Council decision from 2009, relayed by the Star Tribune, lighters branded with cartoon characters are also strictly forbidden.
“We got busted by the City of St. Paul. Oops,” owner Tobi Lynden tweeted.
Many are complaining on Twitter and Facebook about the over-zealous actions of the Safety and Inspections Department.
“I just got through a bag of gummy bears. [...] Now I can't stop thinking about where to find a real bear to eat,” one user comments.