Breaking News:
New Evidence on Teen Smoking Reinforces
the Need for Increasing the Price of Tobacco
in Minnesota
A study released on May 10, 2012 by the University of Illinois at Chicago, found increasing the price of tobacco leads to decreases in youth tobacco use within a very short period of time. read more
| Family Dollar stores announce they will start selling cigarettes |
| Take Action: Sign the Petition! Help us tell Family Dollar that HEALTH is a family value! Ask Family Dollar why they are partnering with Big Tobacco to target lower income customers? |
| Read more/Links to contact Family Dollar |
Faribault City Council to ban smoking in tobacco shops
The City Council made a decision at their March 30, 2012 meeting
that will affect tobacco shops licensed by the City of Faribault. City staff were instructed to draft language to change the city's tobacco licensing ordinance. Read more
Day at the Capitol: Fighting Back Against the Tobacco Industry |
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Goodhue County group on the Capitol steps. |
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Volunteers from Goodhue, Dodge and Steele counties participated in the Raise it for Health Day at the Capitol on March 22, 2012. We met with our legislators at the Capitol and urged them to:
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Cheap, fruit and candy flavored"little cigars" are attractive to teens
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So-called little cigars come in flavors like wild cherry, sweet grape and sweet strawberry. They have a filter tip, come in packs of 20 and are the same size as a cigarette. Little cigars have a small amount of tobacco pulp mixed into their rolling paper. This gives the paper a brown color like a cigar. Little cigars are really just brown cigarettes.
Two big differences that make "little cigars" attractive to kids
- Federal law prohibits fruit flavors in cigarettes. Kid friendly fruit flavors are still allowed in cigars.
- Little cigars are cheap! A pack or 20 cigarettes can cost around $6.00. Compare this to a pack of 20 little cigars that often cost less than $2.00.
Raise the price - Close Minnesota's tobacco tax loophole!
Functionally little cigars are cigarettes. However, because they are wrapped in brown paper, they have been misclassified in law as an “other tobacco product.” This loophole unfairly gives favorable tax and regulatory treatment to little cigars. The solution is to classify little cigars as cigarettes by fixing the current definition of cigarettes in the Minnesota tax and commerce statutes.
Help to educate your state lawmakers about the little cigar loophole during the Day at the Capitol on March 22, 2012. Your voice matters!
Read more: The Cigarette Uniformity Act - A Common Sense Solution
Four Corners Partnership Little Cigar Fact Sheet
(Note: Only the federal government has the authority to regulate the use of candy or fruit flavors in tobacco products.)
New Dissolvable Tobacco Products Attractive to Youth
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The green one is candy, the brown one is tobacco, teens are likely to find both attractive
The tobacco industry is constantly innovating and reinventing its products. Dissolvable tobacco products are currently being test marketed in selected areas across the U.S. (but not in Minnesota).
No spitting, no mess, just pop one of these in your mouth and let it dissolve.
Camel's dissolvable tobacco comes in three forms. Orbs (pictured above) closely resemble a Tic Tac. Not pictured are Sticks (like a large tooth pick) and Strips (like a breathe strip). All three are made of "micro milled tobacco" with added flavor like mint.
"Our students could be using these all day and we would never know!"
This was the reaction when samples of the Camel Dissolvables were shown to a meeting of school nurses in Goodhue county. Parents who have seen samples of these new products have had similar concerns.
Help us to educate our state lawmakers about how the tobacco industry lures new customers. Share your concerns with your legislators during the Day at the Capitol on March 22, 2012.
Your voice matters!
MDH Report shows slower progress toward reducing teen tobacco use
Tobacco use by Minnesota teens decreased at a slower rate between 2008 and 2011 and more than 50 percent of high-schoolers are still exposed to secondhand smoke
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) released new information on December 6, 2011 showing that after a decade of sharp declines in tobacco use among teens, progress is slowing.
In addition, more than 50 percent of high school students are still exposed to secondhand smoke, despite the passage of the Freedom to Breathe Act in 2007. Equally concerning is that the use of menthol cigarettes has more than doubled among teen smokers since 2000.
Dr. Ed Ehlinger, Minnesota Commissioner of Health, noted a number of strategies that public health officials across the country have used to successfully reduce and prevent youth tobacco use, including:
- Price increases on tobacco products.
- Counter-advertising mass-media campaigns that include TV and radio commercials, posters, and other media messages to counter pro-tobacco marketing.
- Comprehensive school-based tobacco-use prevention policies and programs, such as tobacco-free campuses.
- Community interventions that reduce tobacco advertising promotions and commercial availability of tobacco products.
These findings are included in the report, Teens and Tobacco in Minnesota 2011; Results from the Minnesota Youth Tobacco and Asthma Survey.
(read the full Press Release from MDH)
How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease
This is the title of the 2010 report from the Surgeon General of the United States. Along with the 700 page report, the Surgeon General has released a consumer booklet that sums up the key findings from the report in a short, easy to read format.
- Why is tobacco so addictive?
- How can brief exposure to tobacco smoke trigger a heart attack?
- How can tobacco smoke damage your DNA and lead to cancer?
Every American should read this booklet:
How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease...what it means to you
Smoking costs Minnesota $2.87 billion
A new report released by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota reveals that Minnesota paid a staggering $2.87 billion in 2007 to treat disease caused by smoking. The real tragedy is the cost in human suffering. To get the full story, read the report:
Health Care Costs and Smoking in Minnesota: The Bottom Line
What is the Four Corners Partnership?
The Four Corners Partnership is a coalition of concerned citizens and local organizations coordinated by the Public Health Services in Dodge, Goodhue, Rice and Steele counties. The goal of the Partnership is to reduce the harm caused by tobacco in our four-county region. Funding for this work comes from a grant from ClearWay Minnesota.
What is the ClearWay Minnesota Action Center?
Sign up now for this great resource that will help to make you a more effective advocate for reducing the harm caused by tobacco. ClearWay Minnesota Action Center
Minnesota's Tobacco 2011 Report Card
| Tobacco Prevention and Control Spending | F
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Cigarette Tax | C
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| Smoke-free Air | A
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Cessation Coverage | D
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The American Lung Association issues a annual report card for each state. Your continued support of Minnesota’s smoke-free law will help us to keep our one “A”! Our other grades show that there is still a lot of work to be done to reduce tobacco's harm in Minnesota. Please take a look at our Report Card to see what we could be doing better.
Minnesota’s 2011 Report Card (2-page Report Card)
State of Tobacco Control 2011: How Does Your State Measure Up?
How much does tobacco really cost?
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Learn more: We All Pay the Price for Tobacco |
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This report from ClearWay Minnesota is part of a larger campaign to give Minnesotans a fresh perspective on how the industry is targeting its customers today, and to encourage conversations about the persistent dangers of tobacco use. The industry is evolving for the 21st century, with innovative products and marketing strategies designed to seduce new smokers and keep existing smokers hooked. Have you seen tobacco advertising in your community? Be on the lookout for ways the tobacco industry has infiltrated your community, including local events, festivals, convenience stores, youth organizations – the list goes on. Go to www.unfilteredmn.org and use the Guestbook feature to share your stories and upload photos. See what others are finding in their communities. (Look for the photo from Red Wing!) |
