Youth health advocates from Ely, Grand Marais, Hermantown, Lutsen and Two Harbors meet with Sen. Bakk at the State Capitol March 22. The kids were there to urge Sen. Bakk and other state politicians to pass Tobacco 21, a law that would raise the age from 18 to 21 for those who wish to purchase tobacco products in Minnesota. The kids also urged the state to fund cessation and tobacco prevention programs.
On March 22, Ely, Grand Marais, Hermantown, Lutsen and Two Harbors residents joined more than 350 youth and advocates from across Minnesota to rally support at the State Capitol for policies that reduce youth tobacco products use. Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation, a coalition of nearly 60 organizations working to reduce youth tobacco use, hosted a Day at the Capitol urging legislators to prioritize tobacco prevention and “Keep Lungs Loud.” Area advocates met with Sen. Tom Bakk and Rep. Rob Ecklund and shared personal stories of why they support tobacco prevention and cessation measures.
Seventeen students from BorealCorps in Grand Marais made the trip to St. Paul, starting the long drive the day before. Sammie Garrity, a seventh-grader from Grand Marais, remarked “our legislators really listened to us.”
A recent study by the Minnesota Department of Health underscored the need for youth tobacco prevention. The 2017 Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey found youth tobacco use increased for the first time in 17 years. More than 26 percent of highschool students in Minnesota report using tobacco products, up 7 percent since 2014.
A common-sense way to reduce youth tobacco use is to raise the tobacco age from 18 to 21. Nearly all-adult smokers – 95 percent – started before age 21. This is unsurprising, considering that the tobacco industry aggressively markets to youth and young adults to recruit replacement smokers and guarantee profits. If the tobacco age were raised to 21, smoking initiation among 15-to-17- year-olds would fall by 25 percent, according to the National Academy of Medicine.
“This was a great opportunity for lawmakers to hear from students, parents and other health advocates from all over the state about why we need to do more to reduce tobacco’s harms in Minnesota,” said Molly Moilanen, director of public affairs for ClearWay Minnesota and co-chair of Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation. “Participants urged legislators to support raising the state tobacco sale age to 21 and to fund tobacco prevention and cessation, starting with services that help people quit.”
In addition to Tobacco 21, advocates emphasized the need for statewide cessation and prevention funding. Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Minnesota. More than 6,300 Minnesotans die each year from tobacco use, and tobacco use costs Minnesotans over $7 billion annually in excess health care costs and lost productivity. Last year, the state collected more than $840 million in tobacco taxes and settlement fees, and less than one percent ($5 million) was spent on tobacco prevention efforts. None was spent on helping people to quit tobacco use.
An estimated 580,000 Minnesota adults still smoke and the majority want to quit. Phone counseling and medication are cost-effective services that can more than triple the chances of success, but QUITPLAN® Services, the free program currently available to all Minnesotans, will end in early 2020. If the Minnesota Legislature does not act, Minnesota will soon become the only state in the nation without these services.
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