Council passes limited access to 'blunt wraps'

Kansas City, Mo. - The Kansas City Council unanimously passed an amendment to require retailers to keep cigar papers behind their counters, and it all started with a Ruskin High graduate's idea.

Danny McQuarters Jr. wanted to ban the papers completely at first, but he spent more than a year writing his plan and getting help from city leaders. He said he saw too many peers shoplifting blunt wraps, empty brown paper sold in many different flavors, and using them to smoke illegal drugs.

"I don't want them going down the wrong path," McQuarters explained.

With the help of the Hickman Mills Prevention Coalition, he told the public safety committee his plan. Councilman John Sharp, who chairs the committee, agreed to take it to the full city council. It passed Thursday afternoon.

41 Action News went out to see how much of a problem it is. It only took a trip to three different stores before we found blunt wraps sitting well within reach, right next to a register. A distracted clerk could easily miss them being shoplifted. Other clerks at other stores say they already keep blunt wraps behind the counter because they are so often the target of shoplifters.